Welles Crowther

Welles Remy Crowther (May 17, 1977 – September 11, 2001) was an American equities trader and volunteer firefighter known for saving as many as 18 lives during the September 11 attacks in New York City, during which he lost his own life in the collapse of the World Trade Center's South Tower.

Early life Welles Remy Crowther was the first born of three children. His parents, Jefferson and Allison, raised him and his two sisters, Honor and Paige, in the New York City suburb of Nyack, New York. Through his father, he was a grandson of Bosley Crowther, film critic of The New York Times from 1940 to 1967. As a child, Crowther saw his father getting dressed for church and wrapping a small comb in a blue or red bandana he kept in his right hip pocket. When Welles was six years old, his father gave him a red bandana that would become Crowther's trademark, Crowther called his mother from his office at 9:12 a.m., leaving the message, "Mom, this is Welles. I wanted you to know that I'm okay." Crowther made his way to the 78th-floor sky lobby, where he encountered a group of survivors, including a badly burned Ling Young, who worked on the 86th floor in New York's Department of Taxation and Finance. Young had been among a group of people waiting at a bank of elevators to evacuate when the plane hit the tower, Crowther, carrying a young woman on his back, directed them to the one working stairway. The survivors followed him 17 floors down, where he dropped off the woman he was carrying before heading back upstairs to assist others. By the time he returned to the 78th floor, he had a bandana around his nose and mouth to protect him from smoke and haze. Allison then met with the people Welles had saved, including Wein and Young, and they confirmed his identity through photographs.

The Welles Remy Crowther Red Bandana Run, a 5-kilometer road race, is held every October at Boston College.

In 2006, Crowther was posthumously named an honorary New York City firefighter by Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta. That same year, Crowther's Boston College lacrosse teammate, Tyler Jewell, wore a red bandana in honor of Crowther when he competed as a member of the United States snowboarding team in the 2006 Winter Olympics. Every year since 2014, Boston College has chosen one home football game to serve as the "red bandana game" with special red bandana-themed uniforms.

In 2013, Crowther's sister, Honor Crowther Fagan, published a children's book about Welles's actions during the September 11 attacks called The Man In the Red Bandana. It was illustrated by his uncle, John M. Crowther.

At the National September 11 Memorial, Crowther is memorialized at the South Pool, on Panel S-50. President Barack Obama, during his May 15, 2014, dedication of the museum, said of Crowther, "They didn't know his name. They didn't know where he came from. But they knew their lives had been saved by the man in the red bandana. He called for fire extinguishers to fight back the flames. He tended to the wounded. He led those survivors down the stairs to safety, and carried a woman on his shoulders down 17 flights. Then he went back. Back up all those flights. Then back down again, bringing more wounded to safety. Until that moment when the tower fell." One of Crowther's bandanas is on display at the museum.

He was the subject of the 2017 feature documentary Man in Red Bandana. The film was narrated by Gwyneth Paltrow.

The Premier Lacrosse League's Welles Crowther Humanitarian Award is given to a player in the league who has made a meaningful impact in their community. Past recipients of the PLL's Welles Crowther Humanitarian Award include Lyle Thompson (2021, 2022) Eric Law (2023) and Romar Dennis (2024, 2025).

Welles Remy Crowther's bravery and selflessness have inspired numerous tributes. In 2024, Rockland County introduced a cyber detection dog named "Remy" in his honor. Remy, a black lab trained to detect electronic devices used in criminal activities, is one of only 100 "cyber dogs" in the United States. The dog, handled by Detective Tim Hayes, wears a red bandana, symbolizing Crowther's iconic red bandana worn during the 9/11 rescue efforts. This tribute not only honors Crowther's heroism but also continues his legacy in helping protect and serve through modern crime-fighting efforts in Rockland County.

Aspire Park in Clinton, Tennessee, which opened in 2024, is home to a memorial statue dedicated to Welles Crowther.

In October 2025, Dropkick Murphys released a song about Crowther, "A Hero Among Many", on their album For the People. The song was released as a single and music video on November 7, 2025 and the video features images and footage of Crowther supplied to the band by his mother, Alison Crowther, and his friends Tim Epstein, Amy Dewhurst and Pat McCavanagh.

On May 22, 2026, President Donald Trump announced that Welles Crowther would be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.