Nearly 24 years after the deadliest terror attack in U.S. history, the remains of three more victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks have been formally identified, New York City officials announced Thursday.

The newly identified victims include Ryan Fitzgerald, 26, of Floral Park, New York, and Barbara Keating, 72, of Palm Springs, California, as well as an adult woman whose family requested that her name not be released. The identifications bring the total number of victims identified to 1,653, out of the 2,753 people who died at the World Trade Center.

The Office of Chief Medical Examiner confirmed the identities through advanced DNA testing and sustained outreach to victims’ families — part of a decades-long effort to provide closure to loved ones still waiting for answers.

Fitzgerald was working as a foreign currency trader at Fiduciary Trust International on the 94th floor of the South Tower when United Airlines Flight 175 struck the building. After the first tower was hit, he called his family to say he was safe and preparing to evacuate. Tragically, he never made it out.

According to past interviews, Fitzgerald had recently moved into Manhattan, spent the summer traveling with friends, and had been planning a future with his partner. “It made me feel good that he enjoyed the summer because it was the last summer of his life,” his mother, Diana Parks, told The New York Times in 2001.

Keating was a passenger aboard American Airlines Flight 11, which originated in Boston and was the first plane to strike the Twin Towers. A grandmother and devoted family woman, Keating’s son once reflected on the lost time: “I’m sure she misses her grandchildren, and all the moments they could have had,” he told MetroWest Daily News in 2011.

Fitzgerald’s identification was confirmed through remains recovered in 2002, while the identifications of Keating and the unnamed woman were made from remains found in 2011.

Mayor Eric Adams acknowledged the emotional impact of the announcement, saying, “The pain of losing a loved one in the September 11th terror attacks echoes across the decades, but with these three new identifications, we take a step forward in comforting the family members still aching from that day.”

“As a former law enforcement officer who served our city on 9/11,” Adams added, “I understand deeply the feeling of loss so many families have experienced. We hope the families receiving answers from the Office of Chief Medical Examiner can take solace in the city’s tireless dedication to this mission.”

Despite the passage of time, the mission to identify all victims continues. Approximately 1,100 victims — or about 40% of those who died at the World Trade Center — remain unidentified.

Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jason Graham reaffirmed the city’s commitment to that mission: “Each new identification testifies to the promise of science and sustained outreach to families despite the passage of time. We continue this work as our way of honoring the lost.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)