Genelle Guzman-McMillan’s story is one of the most remarkable survival stories from the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The Port Authority worker spent 27 hours trapped beneath concrete and steel after the World Trade Center’s North Tower collapsed. She was eventually rescued on September 12, becoming the last person found alive in the World Trade Center rubble.
Twenty-five years later, her extraordinary story is being brought to television through Lifetime’s new film, Angel in the Rubble: The Genelle Guzman Story. The movie stars Sherri Shepherd as Guzman-McMillan and explores more than her survival.
It also looks at her faith, her family’s desperate search for her and the first responders who refused to give up.
Genelle Guzman-McMillan Was Trapped for 27 Hours After 9/11
Guzman-McMillan was working for the Port Authority on the 64th floor of the World Trade Center’s North Tower when the first hijacked plane struck the building.
She and her colleagues immediately began making their way down the stairs. They were getting close to an exit when the 110-story tower collapsed around them.
Guzman-McMillan was buried beneath the wreckage.
For the next 27 hours, she remained trapped under concrete and steel. Rescuers eventually reached her on September 12 and pulled her from the rubble alive.
Her rescue made her the last person found alive in the World Trade Center debris.
Her 9/11 Survival Story Is Now a Lifetime Movie
The new Lifetime film focuses on the terrifying experience Guzman-McMillan endured inside the collapsed building.
However, the story goes beyond the physical destruction around her. It explores the faith that helped sustain her during the ordeal and the people outside the rubble who refused to stop looking for her.
The movie is based on Guzman-McMillan’s 2014 memoir. It also follows the anguish of Roger McMillan, her future husband, as he searched desperately for her after the attacks.
That personal story gives the film another emotional layer. Guzman-McMillan was not simply waiting to be rescued. Outside the rubble, people were fighting to find her.
Sherri Shepherd Brings Guzman-McMillan’s Story to Screen
Shepherd stars as Guzman-McMillan and also serves as an executive producer on the film.
The actress and television personality has taken on the role as part of a larger effort to tell a story of survival, faith and human connection.
At the film’s New York City premiere, Robin Roberts, who also serves as an executive producer, addressed Guzman-McMillan directly.
“Genelle, the moment I met you, I wanted a night like this for you,” Roberts said. “I thank you and bless you for your trust and patience.”
The moment highlighted the personal connection behind the project. Guzman-McMillan trusted the filmmakers to tell one of the most difficult chapters of her life.
Search Dog Trakr Helped Rescuers Find Her
Guzman-McMillan’s rescue also involved an extraordinary team of first responders and volunteers who traveled to Ground Zero to help.
Among them was Trakr, a German Shepherd search-and-rescue dog who came from Canada with his handler, James Symington.
Trakr detected signs of life in the North Tower debris. His discovery helped rescuers focus their efforts on the area where Guzman-McMillan was eventually found.
Her rescue therefore became a story not only about one woman’s strength but also about the people and animals who played a role in bringing her out alive.
Shepherd reflected on the wider response to the attacks and the strangers who came together to help.
“That was a tragic time in our America, but people from all over came to help their neighbor that they had never met,” Shepherd said.
Guzman-McMillan’s Faith Is Central to the Story
Angel in the Rubble also looks at the faith that Guzman-McMillan held onto during her time beneath the wreckage.
Her experience was terrifying and uncertain. Yet the film presents her survival as a story shaped by faith, hope and the determination of people searching for her.
That focus makes the film different from a simple retelling of the attacks. It places Guzman-McMillan’s personal experience at the center while also remembering the families and first responders affected by the tragedy.
Her story offers a powerful reminder of the individual lives behind the statistics of 9/11.
Genelle Guzman-McMillan’s Story Comes 25 Years After 9/11
September 11, 2026, marks 25 years since the terrorist attacks that changed the United States forever.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks. Of those deaths, 2,753 occurred in New York.
Four commercial airplanes were hijacked that morning. Two crashed into the World Trade Center, another struck the Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew fought back.
As the country marks the 25th anniversary, Guzman-McMillan’s story provides a different perspective on that devastating day.
Her experience represents one of the extraordinary survival stories that emerged from the destruction.
Robin Roberts Helps Mark the 9/11 Anniversary
The Lifetime movie is part of a wider group of programs remembering the 25th anniversary.
Roberts is also an executive producer of 102 Minutes: Inside the Towers. The documentary uses firsthand accounts from survivors, workers and first responders to reconstruct the 102 minutes between the first plane hitting the North Tower and the tower’s collapse.
Roberts is also joining Diane Sawyer and David Muir for 9/11 Tribute in Light: Live from Lower Manhattan.
The ABC News special will honor those who died while reflecting on survivors, families and first responders whose lives were permanently changed by the attacks.
When to Watch Angel in the Rubble
Angel in the Rubble: The Genelle Guzman Story premieres Saturday, September 12, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime. It will also stream the following day.
The film arrives just one day after the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
For Guzman-McMillan, the project puts a deeply personal experience before a new audience. Her survival is remarkable, but the story also remembers the people who searched, prayed and worked to bring her home.
Twenty-five years after she was pulled from the rubble, Guzman-McMillan’s story continues to show what survival can look like after unimaginable tragedy.
