Tunnel to Towers pays off mortgages for 20 homes of fallen 9/11 first responders, including 12 on LI

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation will pay off the mortgages of 20 homes in New York, including 12 on Long Island, belonging to 9/11 first responders who succumbed to Ground Zero-related illnesses.

In total, Tunnel to Towers, founded by the family of an FDNY firefighter who died during the terror attacks, will pay off the mortgages of 50 homes in 18 states for families of fallen police officers, firefighters, deputies and service members of nearly every branch of military service.

It's the largest one-day mortgage payoff in Tunnel to Towers' history

"This year, Americans came together to remember the incredible loss of life that occurred 20 years ago when evil struck at the heart of our great nation," Tunnel to Towers chief executive Frank Siller said in a statement.

"The Tunnel to Towers Foundation promised to never forget what happened on that day and so many people across the country have joined us on our mission of doing good by giving back to our heroes, both living and fallen.

"Thanks to the generosity of this great nation, these 50 families will never have to worry about making another mortgage payment, and will always have a place to call home," the statement said.

The foundation first announced a plan to pay 20 mortgages during a 20th anniversary memorial in lower Manhattan last month honoring the thousands of first responders and civilians who died from 9/11 illnesses years after the attack on the World Trade Center. The names of all the recipients were announced Thursday.

Among the dozen Long Island mortgages being paid off by the group is the Island Park home of NYPD Sgt. Nathalie Brill, who died in June at the age of 45 after a lengthy battle with breast cancer. She left behind a husband, John, and a daughter.

"This generous act has taken a huge financial burden from us, allowing our life to stay a little more normal and stable," John Brill said in a statement. "Nathalie lost her battle to 9/11 related cancer a little over 90 days ago. We face many challenges ahead as our personal 9/11 nightmare has just begun."

The other 11 Long Island homes belonged to:

• NYPD Sgt. Christopher Christodoulou of Malverne, who died in 2017 from cancer;
• NYPD Det. Luis Fernandez of Valley Stream, who died in 2014 of a Ground Zero-related illness;
• NYPD Officer Keith Ferrara of Farmingdale, who died in 2019 from cancer;
• NYPD Officer Raymond Patrick Fuscaldo of West Islip, who died of cancer in 2018;
• FDNY firefighter Charles Jones III of Sayville, who died of cancer in 2013;
• FDNY firefighter Thomas Oelkers of Bellerose Village, who died of a 9/11-related illness in May;
• FDNY firefighter Paul McManaman of Bellerose Village, who died last year from cancer;
• NYPD Sgt. Michael Ryan of Long Beach, who died in 2017 from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma;
• FDNY firefighter Martin Simmons of Nesconset, who died in 2008 of respiratory failure following a 9/11-related illness;
• Port Authority Police Officer Steven Tursellino of Hauppauge, who died of cancer in 2013; and
• NYPD Officer Robert Zane of Sayville, who died in 2009 of kidney cancer.

Siller and his family created the Tunnel to Towers Foundation to honor his brother Stephen Siller, who had finished his shift in Brooklyn on Sept. 11, 2001, and was on his way to play golf when he learned the nation had been attacked. He returned to his firehouse, retrieved his gear and headed to lower Manhattan.

When Siller found traffic blocked at the entrance of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, he strapped his 60 pounds of gear on his back and ran through the tunnel. He died later that day at the Twin Towers.

Tunnel to Towers had vowed to, this year, pay off 200 mortgages on homes owned by 200 firefighters and police officers who have died in the line of duty, including Ground Zero-related illness. The foundation has already paid off mortgages of 250 fallen first responders, the group said.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.