He was buried under the rubble for a total of 13 hours, but survived, along with fellow Port Authority officer John McLoughlin.
He saw the shadow of American Airlines Flight 11, the airplane that seconds later hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
[1] The collapse of the South Tower trapped Jimeno and two other Port Authority officers, led by Sgt.
But mostly the 48-year-old sergeant, a 21-year veteran, and the 33-year-old rookie talked intimately, sometimes revealing personal things – about kids, families, feelings – that they had never shared with anyone.
On June 11, 2002, McLoughlin (with a walker) and Jimeno (with a limp) walked across a stage at Madison Square Garden to receive the Port Authority's Medal of Honor.