He had already begun to descend from the tower. But instead of continuing towards the exit, he returned.
On September 11, 2001, in the South Tower of the World Trade Center, thousands of people sought a way out of smoke, rubble and ravaged corridors.
Welles Crowther was 24 and worked on the 104th floor.
When United Airlines 175 hit the South Tower, Crowther had already dropped to the 78th floor, Sky Lobby, one of the points directly devastated by impact.
As a teenager he had been vigilant of volunteer fire. He knew how to move in an environment invaded by smoking, how to orient yourself with little visibility and how to maintain lucidity during an emergency.
He read a red bandana in front of his nose and mouth.
For many of the people he met, that would remain the only detail to remember him.
A young man with a face covered by a red bandana that appeared in smoke, indicated where to go, helped the wounded and led groups of strangers to a scale still practicable.
At the 78th floor Sky Lobby, there were wounded people, disoriented, unable to understand which path was still possible to follow.
He led them to the stairs.
Some could walk. Others needed to be supported. According to the testimonies collected later, Crowther also helped people who were no longer able to move by themselves.
After having accompanied some survivors to the lower floors, he returned up to seek other people. And he did it several times.
At 9:59 the South Tower collapsed.
Welles Crowther was still inside.
For months his family did not know in detail what he had done during those minutes.
The story emerged through the testimonies of the survivors.
Several people told about the same stranger.
A man with a red bandana on his face.
When her mother listened to those stories, she recognized that detail.
Welles used to carry a red bandana, a custom that dates back to his childhood.
The photographs later shown to the survivors allowed him to identify him as the man who helped them.
The testimonies give him at least ten saved lives, while some reconstructions speak of an even greater number.
The strength of his story is not only in the number of people he managed to help.
It is in the fact that, after he accompanied others towards salvation, he repeatedly chose to go back to help who was still trapped.