Mariah Carey indirectly played a role in saving a fan’s life during the tragic events of 9/11.
On September 11, 2001, two planes crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York after being hijacked by members of the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda. Additionally, a third plane crashed into the Pentagon and a fourth into a field in western Pennsylvania.
Excluding the hijackers, the attacks resulted in the deaths of 2,977 people.
While numerous survivors have harrowing tales from one of the most significant tragedies in American history, one individual has a unique story about how Mariah Carey saved her life by releasing a new album.
On 9/11, Carey released her eighth studio album, Glitter, which served as the soundtrack for a movie musical of the same name. Although Glitter was mostly criticized at the time of its release, it has since become a cult classic among fans.
In a 2023 interview with The Messenger, a fan named Sara Botkin revealed that Carey ‘saved’ her life on 9/11. She explained that she chose to go and buy Glitter before heading to her job at the World Trade Center’s south tower.
“I would probably tell [Mariah Carey], ‘You saved my life,'” Botkin told the outlet. “I believe it was mostly good luck, and I do think that album may have saved my life.”
Botkin worked on the 105th floor of the south tower, and her decision to stop and buy the album made her late for work that day.
In another interview with WPXI, Botkin recounted that when the first plane hit, she was still on the concourse, about to get on the building’s elevator.
“New York is such a noisy city, I didn’t immediately think terrorist attack or airplane,” she shared. “I just sort of paused and looked around. In a few moments I started to see distinguished-looking men in suits start running and yelling, and thought, okay, something is happening.”
Those in the lobby were directed by building security to go up to their offices, thinking it would be safer there.
“That was the tragic thing about that day is that we were being told that our building was secure,” she said. She then explained how she decided to follow her instinct and escape with a few other men who had pushed past security to get out.
“When I looked outside it was a stunning scene, it looked like New Year’s Eve, just all the debris in the air, papers flying,” Botkin described.
Regarding how buying Carey’s album saved her, Botkin told WPXI, “I think it’s got to be luck.”
“So many people said God was watching out for me that day. And I believe in God, but I can’t think that He would be a God that would watch out for all those people who lost their lives. Fathers and daughters and mothers and sons. So, I just think I was really lucky,” she added.
Botkin also told The Messenger that she received a signed Glitter CD from Carey after the singer learned about her story.
“Shortly after 9/11, about a week later, I received a signed CD and a photo in the mail with a message that said, ‘God bless.’ That meant a lot to me. I remember thinking how everyone was calling and emailing me,” Botkin shared.
“I love her self-titled album. I thought Glitter was great. I know it was not popular. It was a throwback to the 80s.”