This photo has been shared with following caption for a long time: Australian model gets distracted during a photo shoot when the first plane hit Tower 1 WTC on 9/11

Photo credit: Ari Abramczyk.

The caption is false. For some reason, the original caption by the photographer has not been used:

Jaqui, 21, a fashion model and native of Australia, sits on the roof of her apartment in New York, NY, watching the first of the Twin Towers burn. The apartment she lives in is six blocks away from the towers. She later witnesses the second plane dive into the second tower, and both towers crashing to the ground. (9/11/01)

Facts based on the original description:

• There was no photo shoot
• Person in the photo was not “distracted”: she was witnessing the events as they occurred
• This photo was taken some minutes after the first plane hit the World Trade Center – not *at the moment of impact* like the false caption claims

This photo does not appear to be photoshopped or staged. She is looking up the Greenwich street some six blocks away from the WTC.

Her reaction is not surprising: before the second plane hit, many people thought they were witnessing an accident. A lot of people simply watched the burning tower. I also watched – from a TV, but still.