aim4thestars
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Known as the "only unsolved homicide in NYC on 9/11", the case of Henryk Siwiak first caught my attention in a recent episode of the podcast "Anatomy of Murder".
"Henryk Siwiak, 46, bears the lonely distinction of being the last person to have died on 9/11. The father-of-two, who had moved to the US 11 months earlier in pursuit of the American dream, was gunned down on a street in Bed-Stuy at 11.40pm."
Henryk was a hardworking Polish immigrant who had come to the States to support his family in October 2000. Upon arriving at his job site in downtown NYC on September 11, 2001, Henryk witnessed the 9/11 attacks and was sent home. After calling his wife in Poland to let her know he was safe, Henryk began searching for other work options. He secured a position cleaning at the Pathmark grocery store with a shift set to begin at Midnight.
"With several hours until he was expected to arrive for the midnight shift at the store, Henryk and his landlady reportedly studied a map to trace the route he would take. The store was located on the 1500 block of Albany Avenue in Brooklyn, but the pair unwittingly set their sights on the wrong spot.
Henryk is believed to have gotten off the train near 1 Albany Ave. in Bedford-Stuyvesant, arriving at the start of the avenue, nearly 4 miles from where Henryk was supposed to go.
What exactly happened next remains unclear, but what is known is that at some point, Henryk encountered who would become his killer.
“Unknown individuals wound up shooting at him that night, hitting him numerous times, causing him to die,” Harvey said.
Wounded, Henryk managed to cross Decatur Street and run up a stoop to ring the doorbell or knock on the door of a brownstone building in a last-ditch effort to make it to safety. His pleas fell on deaf ears.
“Nobody answered the door,” Harvey said. “He then stumbled down the stairs and fell on the sidewalk, where he ultimately died.”
The 79th Precinct dedicated as many resources as possible to immediately investigate Henryk’s death.
An evidence collection team, which normally responds to burglaries and other nonfatal crimes, scoured the scene, and investigators searched for witnesses.
They quickly hit a brick wall.
“It was kind of something that was pushed aside,” Harvey said. “We really didn't receive a lot of help from the public in regards to this case.”
“We’d like to ultimately give the family some kind of closure in regards to the case, and find out who did this,” Harvey said.
New York City marks the anniversary of Sept. 11 by remembering those lost and honoring their lives. The Police Precincts and Fire Departments take on the added task of mourning their fellow brothers and sisters who made the ultimate sacrifice that day. The 79th Precinct is no different, but it also has an additional task it completes every Sept. 11.
“Around the anniversary, we also hang up the reward posters hoping to generate new information in regards to the case,” Harvey said. “We believe somebody saw something, it's just a matter of finding that person.
“I believe Albany Avenue is a pretty tight-knit block, so I believe that probably, the person responsible is probably still in the area.”'
Excerpted from: Who Killed Henryk Siwiak? Mystery Surrounds Only Murder Victim in New York City on 9/11
More:
Shooting of dad on 9/11 is the only unsolved murder on day of attacks
As a first-generation Polish-American with many relatives who have similarly traveled from Poland to provide for their families, this case makes my heart break for his family so far away from where the crime occurred. I hope Henryk's family can get some answers soon, it has been long enough.
