‘Angel’ captured in 9/11 lights — Optical illusion or ‘something else?’

HOBOKEN — It's been a year since a New Jersey man's photo of the 9/11 memorial lights caught the attention of people all over the world after he captured an image atop the beams that, to this day, can't be explained.

Richard McCormack, of Jersey City, took several pictures of the Sept. 11 memorial lights on Sept. 9 of last year from the Hoboken waterfront, just before the anniversary of the terror attacks. All of the pictures looked pretty much the same, except for one. In the photo, at the very top of one of the beam, where it meets the clouds, there appears to be a distinctly human-like figure. McCormack, a freelance photographer in New Jersey, said the picture wasn’t altered or edited in any way.

Last year, we asked our audience in a Twitter poll if they believed the image atop the beams was just a trick of the light or "something else," and the majority of people who voted said they believed there was more to it than just an optical illusion.

Some people who commented on McCormack's post after he initially shared it on Facebook said the image looked like an angel. Another person said "it looks like there's someone up there looking down."

After posting the photo — which was shared on social media nearly 2,000 times —  McCormack acknowleged that many people would probably assume the photo was altered or that it was merely an optical illusion, rather than something of a spiritual nature. No actual explanation for the image has ever been given but the photographer said he was happy knowing that so many people found a sense of comfort in seeing the photo. He said he plans to take more pictures this year as the 9/11 anniversary approaches.

As we prepare to remember the 9/11 attacks for the 16th year, we're asking New Jerseyans to share with us photos of the Sept. 11 Tribute in Light, or photos of the new World Trade Center or older photos of the Twin Towers.

And tell us: Do you still believe the image atop the beams is something other than a trick of the light? Tweet us @NJ1015 or @ToniRadio1015.

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Toniann Antonelli is a social content producer for NJ 101.5. She can be reached at toniann.antonelli@townsquaremedia.com, or on Twitter @ToniRadio1015.