John P. Sweeney

Brian Sweeney, a passenger on Flight 175, calls his parents in Spencer, Massachusetts, and tells his mother that his flight has been hijacked and that the passengers are considering storming the cockpit to gain control of the plane. [MetroWest Daily News, 9/12/2001; 9/11 Commission, 8/26/2004, pp. 22] Sweeney has just attempted to call his wife, Julie Sweeney, but she was not at home, so he left a message on the answering machine (see 8:59 a.m. September 11, 2001). [Los Angeles Times, 9/17/2001; 9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 8]
Sweeney Says He Is on a Hijacked Plane – He now speaks with his mother, Louise Sweeney, saying: “Mom, it’s Brian. I’m on a hijacked plane and it doesn’t look good. I called to say I love you and I love my family.” [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 3/24/2004 ] The call is mostly personal in nature, but Sweeney says of the hijackers, “I don’t know who they are.” [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/11/2001] Sweeney’s wife will later tell the New York Daily News that he does, however, tell his mother that the hijackers are Middle Eastern. [New York Daily News, 3/9/2004]
Passengers Thinking of Fighting Back – Sweeney also says that passengers on Flight 175 are considering fighting back against the hijackers. [USA Today, 7/22/2004; 9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 8] He says they are thinking of storming the plane’s cockpit. [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/11/2001] According to Sweeney’s wife, Sweeney tells his mother, “I might have to hang up quickly, we’re going to try to do something about this,” to which his mother replies: “Okay. Do what you have to do.” Sweeney flew an F-14 fighter jet in the 1991 Gulf War and was a US Navy flight instructor in Miramar, California, but he is now working as an aeronautics consultant for Brandes Associates, a Defense Department contractor. [New York Daily News, 3/9/2004; CNN, 3/10/2004] He is 6-foot-2 and weighs 225 pounds. [Washington Post, 9/16/2001] His wife will say he “could literally kill somebody with a twist of the neck. We could see him trying to do something about [the hijacking].” [New York Daily News, 3/9/2004]
Sweeney Refers to Psychic Television Show – Louise Sweeney asks her son where he is, and he says he believes his plane is flying somewhere over Ohio. [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 3/24/2004 ; 9/11 Commission, 8/26/2004, pp. 22] Sweeney says that “they [presumably the hijackers] are coming back.” [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/11/2001] He concludes the call by telling his mother: “Remember Crossing Over. Don’t forget Crossing Over.” Louise Sweeney will explain to the FBI that her son is “a very spiritual person who always believed that there was a life after death.” He is much interested in the television show Crossing Over with John Edward, in which the host supposedly communicates with the dead. Louise Sweeney believes her son is trying to comfort her with these words, letting her know he believes they will meet again in the next life.
Sweeney Speaks Quietly and Calmly – According to Louise Sweeney, her son’s voice sounds different to how it normally does. Whereas his usual tone is “effervescent,” during the call it is quiet and very calm, and she will later reflect that he sounds “p_ssed off.” She can hear no loud noises or commotion in the background. [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 3/24/2004 ] The call lasts 60 seconds. [9/11 Commission, 5/13/2004 ] Immediately after it ends, Louise Sweeney turns on her television and sees Flight 175 crashing into the World Trade Center (see 9:03 a.m. September 11, 2001). [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/11/2001; 9/11 Commission, 8/26/2004, pp. 22]
Conflicting Accounts of What Type of Phone Sweeney Uses – When Sweeney’s mother and his brother, John Sweeney, talk to the FBI over the phone later this morning, they will say Brian Sweeney made the call “from his cell phone.” [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/11/2001] Louise Sweeney will tell the FBI later in the day that her son called her “possibly from his cell phone.” [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/11/2001] But according to evidence prepared for the 2006 trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, the call is made using an Airfone, not a cell phone. Although Sweeney was originally assigned to seat 15A of the plane, he makes the call from row 31AB. [9/11 Commission, 5/13/2004 ; 9/11 Commission, 8/26/2004, pp. 90; US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division, 7/31/2006]