Matthew Rogan was supposed to be off-duty the day the Twin Towers collapsed. But he had switched tours with one of his fellow firefighters at Ladder Co. 11 on the Lower East Side. Rogan, 37, was a New York City police officer for eight years. Following in the footsteps of his father, who is a retired fire captain in New York City, Rogan became a firefighter in 1994.
Rogan was born and raised in West Islip. He was graduated from St. John the Baptist High School and attended Paul Smith's College in upstate New York. He was a humble hero. On Nov. 11, 1997, Rogan and two other firefighters swam 30 to 40 feet, wearing cumbersome bunker gear, to rescue a woman from the frigid East River. As the trio explained the rescue effort to television crews, reporters and city officials, the media-shy Rogan reportedly whispered to Mayor Rudolph Giuliani: "That was harder than the rescue."
He had a great sense of humor, relatives said. He loved gardening, clamming and spending time with his children.
New York Newsday, 2001