Jason Thomas

Jason Thomas (born ca. 1974) is a United States Marine who located and rescued people in the aftermath of collapse of the World Trade Center in New York City after the September 11 attacks in 2001. With fellow U.S. Marine Dave Karnes, he helped find a pair of Port Authority Police officers buried in the rubble of the World Trade Center.

2001: September 11 attacks

On September 11, 2001, Thomas was dropping his daughter off at the home of his mother on Long Island when she told him planes had struck the towers. The 27-year-old Thomas, having left active duty in August 2001, quickly put on his Marine uniform, sped to Manhattan, getting lost on the way, and had just parked his car when the North Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed. Thomas ran toward the center of the ash cloud.

Thomas told the Associated Press:

"Someone needed help. It didn't matter who," he said. "I didn't even have a plan. But I have all this training as a Marine, and all I could think was, 'My city is in need.'"

Thomas ran into another former Marine, Staff Sgt. Dave Karnes. Thomas presented a plan for a search-and-rescue mission of the area, and he and Karnes tried to enlist other marines and soldiers on site to help. When they were told the mission was too dangerous, they decided to go by themselves. "I found a couple guys, but it wasn't enough, to them, to start a search and rescue," he said. "I remember myself and Karnes saying, 'We're going to start the search and rescue with or without you, because someone needs us.'"

Carrying little more than an infantryman's shovel, they climbed the mountain of debris, skirting dangerous crevasses and shards of red-hot metal, calling out, "Is anyone down there? United States Marines!" It was dark before they heard a response. Then they met an operating engineer, who had a flashlight, and crawled down into the hole where the 2 cops were trapped, and spoke with Will. Then the engineer climbed out, and went for help, and brought back the FDNY.

Thomas said he returned to Ground Zero every day to pitch in, before attempting to put the events behind him. He did not even tell his five children about his rescues. He had identified himself to Karnes and others only as "Sergeant Thomas".

Jason Thomas is now serving in the United States Air Force as a medical technician.

Thomas was portrayed in Oliver Stone's feature film World Trade Center by William Mapother.

On February 11, 2007, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition aired a special two-hour episode about Thomas and his family. Following the attacks, Thomas and his wife had moved their four children from New York to Whitehall, Ohio in an attempt to put 9/11 behind them. However, the house they bought began to deteriorate due to poor construction, or as described by host Ty Pennington, "It's built of cardboard and particle board, it's a lemon." Thomas and his family, which at the time also included his wife's aunt and her young daughter, were sent on vacation while the show's crew and hundreds of volunteers tore down their old house and rebuilt a new one within seven days. During construction, one of the show's designers, Ed Sanders, suffered a severe hand injury while working on a wooden carving of the American flag for Thomas.

On September 2, 2013, Channel 4 broadcast The Lost Hero of 9/11 which detailed Thomas involvement in the rescue operation following the collapse of both towers.

Thomas now lives in Whitehall, Ohio, and works as a police officer. Thomas is in 15 Septembers Later which has appeared on the History Channel.