Community Corner

New Jersey Reacts: Osama bin Laden Killed

In a state where hundreds died as a result of the Sept. 11 attacks, the word of the al-Qaida leader's death spread swiftly.

The news of Osama bin Laden's death spread rapidly across New Jersey and West Deptford Sunday evening, despite the late hour.

Reaction was swift and almost universal: Exultation that one of the United States' most elusive foes was dead, and dead as a result of U.S. action.

The news came nearly 10 years after the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, which killed Nick Brandemarti Jr., a star fullback at West Deptford High School and Fordham University, whose career in finance had taken him to Keefe, Bruyette and Woods on the 89th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan.

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Brandemarti, along with fellow Gloucester County victims John Rodak, of Mantua, and Perry Thompson, of Williamstown, are memorialized at the Place of Reflection in Mantua’s Chestnut Branch Park, where a ceremony has been held on the anniversary of the attacks each September.

The West Deptford midget football stadium at RiverWinds is named in honor of Brandemarti, who set the single-game and season rushing record at the high school during his career, and went on to be a student assistant coach at Fordham after concussions cut short his playing days.

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"His teammates were so important that the idea of not being around those guys—he couldn't do it," Fordham coach David Clawson told The New York Times in 2001.

In an extraordinary address, President Obama interrupted almost every U.S. TV channel to announce the news.

While he did not provide details, he said that the U.S. has been tracking bin Laden for months and finally located him in a residence in Pakistan. After a firefight, the president said, bin Laden was killed, with no loss of U.S. lives.

Gov. Chris Christie commended the Obama administration for finally bringing bin Laden to justice.

“There is hardly a life that has gone untouched in New Jersey by the horrifying assault on American soil that took place on September 11th and today, after years of waiting, justice has finally been delivered,” Christie said. “While our fight against terrorism continues, Osama bin Laden's reign of terror has come to an end, sending a clear signal that even in the face of immeasurable horror, democracy and freedom continue to prevail."

New Jersey Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez echoed the themes of justice and loss.

"Like all Americans, New Jerseyans, never forgot the heinous actions of those responsible, never forgot those whose lives were lost, never stopped asking questions of our government, and never ceased continuing the pressure on the importance of capturing Bin Laden and bringing justice to those responsible," Menendez said in a statement. "My thoughts and prayers, along with those of all New Jerseyans, are with those who lost family and friends on 9/11. Hopefully they can find some solace and a measure of closure today."

Lautenberg lauded the bravery and sacrifice of everyone involved in combating terrorism.

"Now we must be particularly diligent and let the message get out that we we’ll do whatever is necessary to stop this kind of madness. Osama bin Laden’s disciples must know that the free world is united against terror and will fight terrorists no matter who they are, where they hide and no matter who their protectors might be," he said. "A 9/11 must never be allowed to happen again."

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