New Jersey's Empty Sky 9/11 Memorial Faces Disrepair and Unadded Names, Sparking Advocacy Efforts
New Jersey's official 9/11 memorial, 'Empty Sky' at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, is currently in a state of disrepair, with its lighting system damaged since Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Advocates, including Michael Danatos, who lost his brother-in-law in the attacks, have been pushing for repairs and the addition of at least 17 names of victims with strong connections to New Jersey that are currently missing from the memorial. The original design also promised 60 trees and stainless steel siding on the outer face of the walls, which have not been implemented. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), which oversees the park, acknowledges the need for significant repairs and states that decisions require a design process across state government. While the DEP confirmed three names were added in 2021, there has been no commitment regarding the additional 17 names. Many of the missing names belong to Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officers who worked in Jersey City or New Jersey residen... 
