No small debt

As Sunel Merchant stood by the windows, he and a friend mocked the low-flying planes moving toward them. 

From the 49th floor of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, they joked that airlines could sell just about anything to tourists.

Moments later, Merchant felt like he was falling forward as Tower One swayed under the weight of the impact of a Boeing 737.

“Still today when people ask me if I heard a boom or a noise, that particular second is blanked out,” Merchant said. “I knew that something had happened, but that exact moment of impact is still blank for me. I was in shock.”

As soon as the Tower returned to position, Merchant, as if on autopilot, returned to his desk. He was confused and paralyzed by the impact.

“At that moment, I realized we could do a lot of things, but ultimately everything is controlled by a higher power,” Merchant said. “That was a totally helpless moment.”

World Trade Center employees were trained to respond to emergencies through announcements or fire marshal directions, but that morning Merchant said there were no alarms. It was only when a survivor of the February 1993 World Trade Center bombings yelled it was a bomb did people begin to evacuate.

Fifteen minutes after the impact, Merchant had only reached the 40th floor when a woman running from the top began yelling that an airplane had hit the towers. 

“We knew it was something much bigger than just…” Merchant trailed off, not having the words to describe the moment. “After that it was a very grim walk.”

As he reached the 25th floor, something happened that amazes him still today. He saw a first responder firefighter running up the same stairs he was rushing down.

“I was just coming down 24 floors; he had all that gear on him and had climbed up 25 floors at the same time,” Merchant said. “If that’s not superhuman, what is? I still remember the look in his eyes. His eyes knew he was not coming back.”

Merchant eventually escaped to an open area on ground level where many congregated in fear of the domino effect of the Trade Centers falling. Merchant still remembers looking where the towers once stood and seeing only a hazy dome of brown and orange dust instead of the regal buildings in which he had stood only 20 minutes before. 

The next day, Merchant was able to return home to his wife and 5-year-old son. The young boy, too naïve to understand the trauma, playfully asked his father who his favorite superhero was.

Merchant was in no mood to humor his son. “What’s so great about them?” he thought. “If there is a Spiderman, Superman or Captain America, why didn’t they come and save us? Why did they let so many people die? Why should I even bother?”

In that instant, Merchant was hit by the memory of the firefighter climbing up the same stairs everyone else was moving down. 

 “While I was on the street trying to run away, I saw police cars speeding toward the building’s collapse,” he said. “If these people are not the real superheroes, then who is? And these people are real flesh and blood, not fictional. From that moment onward, my respect for those people, superheroes, has become so much.”

This experience created Merchant’s lifelong respect for those serving in public safety. Each year to mark 9/11, he and his wife open the doors of their Philly Connection restaurants to firefighters, police officers and public safety workers. One of the couple’s four locations is in Vestavia Hills.

 “It’s a small thank you for all the work they do,” Merchant said. “People should realize how much superheroes do for us.”

Merchant’s Vestavia Hills Philly Connection is located at 1360 Montgomery Highway. For more, call 637-5588.