YORKVILLE 9
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Firefighter · Ladder Company 13

Thomas J.
Hetzel

Age 33 · FDNY firefighter

A husband, father, volunteer firefighter from age eighteen, skier, athlete and man who had wanted the fire service since boyhood.

Ladder Company 13Engine 22 · Ladder 13 · Battalion 10159 East 85th Street

The dream from boyhood

Thomas Hetzel wanted to be a firefighter from an early age. At eighteen, he joined his local volunteer fire department and began turning that childhood ambition into a life of service.

He entered the New York City Fire Service Academy in October 1995.

Outside the firehouse, Tom enjoyed golf, softball and skiing, including annual Colorado trips with his wife. He was also proud of his German heritage and enjoyed traditional food, music, festivals and social organizations.

Above all, he was a husband and a father who adored his daughter Amanda.

Ladder 13

By September 2001, Thomas was assigned to Ladder Company 13 at 159 East 85th Street.

He responded to the World Trade Center with Captain Walter Hynes, Dennis McHugh, Thomas Sabella, Gregory Stajk and Joseph Graziano Jr.

The response

Ladder 13’s operations account records an assignment toward the 44th floor of the North Tower for search and evacuation.

The crew reached approximately the 24th floor before the South Tower collapsed and the evacuation order was transmitted. Ladder 13 began descending through Stairway B while continuing to search lower floors.

Thomas Hetzel did not return home.

Follow the North Tower timeline

A family story carried forward

His life remains documented through family memorial materials, photographs and community remembrances, including materials preserved by VOICES Center for Resilience.

His story is inseparable from the things that existed before September 11: family, skiing, softball, heritage and the childhood dream that became his profession.

Historical record

Sources for this memorial

Personal photographs and additional family recollections can be added as family materials and permissions are received.

National Fallen Firefighters Foundation

Thomas J. Hetzel — Roll of Honor biography.

FDNY company operations record

Ladder 13 response and North Tower assignment.

VOICES Center for Resilience

Family memorial photographs and remembrance materials.

View full source recordReturn to the Yorkville 9
Firefighter Thomas J. Hetzel

Forever part of Ladder 13.
Forever part of the Yorkville 9.

September 11, 2001 — September 11, 2026