23 years later, some NJ ground zero responders still suffering

NEW JERSEY (PIX11) -- In our darkest hour, these heroes shined their brightest.

In the hours, days and weeks after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, without thinking twice, thousands of other first responders went to the place where their lives would change forever: ground zero.

"'Let's everybody go back to their emergency duty station, get in your class b uniform, get your duffle bag and be prepared to move out,'" said retired New Jersey State Trooper Jim Bruncati, recalling giving his first orders on 9/11. He was stationed at Fort Dix and was part of a team of troopers who assisted both at ground zero and the Javits Center in the days after the attacks.

Among those assisting at ground zero was his brother and fellow trooper, Peter Bruncati. "My brother was a terrific athlete, a very disciplined individual," said Bruncati. "A real squared-away guy, that's the term we use in the State Police. When he got sick, he knew it was different, it wasn't his usual back pain, he said this is different."

When Peter went to the doctor, he found out his pain was multiple myeloma.

"Multiple treatments, chemotherapy, radiation, and really, for a year, he suffered terribly," said Bruncati.

Peter passed away on June 2, 2023. He was 66 years old.

Today, Jim Bruncati advocates for people like his brother, and his partner and best friend, Gerry Barbato, who died just a few months prior to Peter, also from complications from his service at ground zero.

Jack Johnson is the chief of the Jersey City Fire Department, one of the first agencies outside New York to respond to the attacks. "We seen the plume of smoke still coming up," said Johnson. "We couldn't believe it. We couldn't just stay here and let it happen. We as firefighters want to get involved, want to help."

He said once his department returned to the station after assisting FDNY, he and several firefighters decided to get in their own cars and head back to help.

"We went through the pile for hours and we were searching and digging with all the New York firemen," said Johnson. "We didn't even know who was near us. It was all smoke and everything. It was all surreal, it was like, 'Wow, this is really happening.'"

One of his best friends with him at ground zero, Danny Martin, who's now retired, developed multiple forms of cancer.

"He's battling his way through the system to get the health care that he needs for the rest of his life," said Johnson. "God forbid something happens to him, his family is left behind, so we're trying to see what's out there for him."

Many responders who went to ground zero on their own accord ended up retiring from illness, and weren't eligible to receive a pension. A 2019 New Jersey state law tried to help.

"I was talking to one client who was really sick, and I said, 'Listen, if I win and I get elected, I'm going to try to get this bill expanded,'" said Assemblywoman Jessica Ramirez (D-NJ 32nd District).

Under the current law, qualifying ground zero responders are eligible to receive an accidental disability retirement allowance but must have filed a notice between 2019, when the law began, and 2021. This bill would reopen the filing. Ramirez, who authored this new bill, is pushing hard for it to pass this session.

"That's what we're working on. We're really hoping it gets signed and we're hoping to save some lives," said Ramirez.

Bruncati, Johnson and retired Jersey City police officer Valerie Velazquez-Stetz all developed health conditions of their own. "We need this bill open for our families," said Velazquez-Stetz. "We're all sick, we're all suffering. Many, many are suffering and many have died."

Many of the heroes whose health was affected that fateful day say even knowing all that they know now, they would still go back to ground zero to help, simply because it's what they do.

"Believe me, if another 9/11 happened, the same people would show up," said Bruncati.