DNA technology helped New York officials identify the remains of a 9/11 victim more than two decades after the terrorist attacks.
The New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) announced Thursday that DNA testing helped the office identify the remains of John Ballantine Niven of Oyster Bay, Long Island.
The announcement comes more than 22 years after al-Qaeda terrorists launched the worst attack on the U.S. in the nation's history on September 11, 2001.
"While the pain from the enormous losses on September 11th never leaves us, the possibility of new identifications can offer solace to the families of victims," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said. "I'm grateful for the ongoing work from the Office of Chief Medical Examiner that honors the memory of John Ballantine Niven and all those we lost."
Newsweek reached out to the OCME via email for comment.
Niven is the 1,650th September 11 victim identified. Roughly 40 percent of those who died in the attacks remain unidentified.
"Our solemn promise to find answers for families using the latest advances in science stands as strong today as in the immediate days after the World Trade Center attacks," New York City Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jason Graham said. "This new identification attests to our agency's unwavering commitment and the determination of our scientists."
An obituary for Niven, who was 44 at the time of his death, was published in the New York Times on September 23, 2011. He was survived by his wife Ellen and 18-month-old son, John Jr. In 2001, he was working as a senior vice president in mergers and acquisitions at AON Risk Services, an insurance firm on the 105th floor of the South Tower, which was hit 17 minutes after the first plane flew into the North Tower.
According to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, the terrorists attacks killed 2,977 people and injured thousands at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
New identifications have become harder as more time passes. Last year, days before the 22nd anniversary of the attacks, two more victims were identified. Their names were withheld at the request of their families.
A man's identity was confirmed through DNA testing of remains recovered in 2001, while a woman was identified through DNA remains recovered from 2001, 2006 and 2013. They were the first victims to be identified since September 2021.
OCME adopted next-generation sequencing technology used by the military in recent years after almost two decades of negative results. The technique is more sensitive and rapid than other DNA technologies.
Update 1/18/24, 1:09 p.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.
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