The photographer has noted that , in at least two cases , newspaper stories commenting on the image have attracted a barrage of criticism from readers who found the image " disturbing . ” Of the 2,606 victims killed inside the World Trade Center and on the ground in New York City during the September 11 attacks , at least 200 are believed to have fallen or jumped to their deaths , while other estimates say the number is half of that or fewer . Officials could not recover or identify the bodies of those forced out of the buildings prior to the collapse of the towers . All deaths in the attacks except those of the hijackers were ruled to be homicides due to blunt trauma ( as opposed to suicides ) . The New York City medical examiner 's office said it does not classify the people who fell to their deaths on September 11 as " jumpers " . According to Ellen Borakove , the examiner 's office spokeswoman , " A ' jumper ' is somebody who goes to the office in the morning knowing that they will commit suicide . These people were forced out by the smoke and flames or blown out . " The photograph initially appeared in newspapers around the world , including on page 7 of '' The New York Times '' on September 12 , 2001 . The photo 's caption read , " A person falls headfirst after jumping from the north tower of the World Trade Center . It was a horrific sight that was repeated in the moments after the planes struck the towers . " It appeared only once in the '' Times '' because of criticism and anger against its use . Six years later , it appeared on page 1 of '' The New York Times Book Review '' on May 27 , 2007
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
The Falling Man