Jon Vandevander used his cellphone to call his wife and teenage son after an airliner struck One World Trade Center, the tower where he worked as vice president of a foreign currency trading firm.
"His whole group was trapped up there on the 92nd floor in a small office because of fire and smoke in the hall," said Roy Tarvin, Vandevander's father-in-law. "They blew out the window for air. He was in touch with his family until five or 10 minutes before the building collapsed."
Family members wouldn't discuss what was said in that call from the tower, but they haven't heard from Vandevander since.
The Vandevander and Tarvin families Wednesday said they are holding out hope that Jon, 44, is still alive. The president of the Ridgewood Junior Football Association and the father of three is beloved by many in the village for being a quiet leader.
Vandevander worked for Carr Futures, Tarvin said. He had offices on a floor above the impact of the Boeing 767 that was the first plane to strike the World Trade Center.
Vandevander's brother, Michael, 47, of Ramsey, said his brother is a leader, avid sportsman, and a strong family man. A graduate of Ramsey High School and history major at Lycoming College in Pennsylvania, Jon Vandevander played soccer through college.
"He was the soccer captain his senior year at Lycoming," Michael Vandevander said. "He thought he might want to be a soccer coach and teacher when he got out of college."
But a teacher glut started Jon Vandevander on the way to a career as a stockbroker.
"He had friends doing the same thing and making good money," his brother said. "He was promoted [to vice president] within the last two years."
The two never missed a day without a telephone call to catch up.
"We spoke on Monday," Michael Vandevander said. "We are very close."
Jon Vandevander and his wife, Anne, are the parents of children ages, 14, 9, and 5 and are participants in Ridgewood sports programs.
"He's godfather to my daughter Ashley," Michael Vandevander said. "She was in isolation for two days after she was born and Jon told the nurses at Valley Hospital that he had to see her because he was between flights. When we first brought her home from the hospital he was always there."
Michael Vandevander, district sales manager for a fire protection equipment manufacturer, said he has received calls in the last day from relatives in California, upstate New York, North Carolina, and Florida.
"Jon would catch the 5:30 a.m. train out of Ridgewood and start work around 7 or 7:30 in the morning," Vandevander said.
"When the World Trade Center was first bombed [in 1993] he was in Colorado skiing," he added.
Vandevander said his brother was so devoted to his family that he would rarely be absent for his children's activities.
"He's the most involved father I've ever known," Michael Vandevander said.
Former Ridgewood Mayor Patrick Mancuso attended the Vandevanders' wedding 16 years ago.
"He's a thoughtful and quiet leader," Mancuso said. "There are people that yell 'charge' and there are people that lead by example. Jon leads by example."
-- EVONNE COUTROS
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