Former NYC ferry captain who evacuated hundreds on 9/11 dies

New York City firefighter Thomas Phelan, who evacuated hundreds of people from Manhattan during the 9/11 attacks while working as a ferry captain, died Friday.

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Phelan, 45, died of cancer, the New York Daily News reported.

Phelan was working as a Statue of Liberty ferry captain on Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists flew two jetliners into the World Trade Center. Phelan turned the boat into a rescue vehicle and played a key role in evacuating people stranded in Lower Manhattan, the Daily News reported.

"He brought supplies, rescue workers & was a huge part of the operation," according to the NYC Fire Wire Facebook page.

He went on to join New York’s fire department in May 2003, the Daily News reported.

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Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

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