Maria Bellia Abbate
Maria Bellia Abbate, inspired by Frank's experiences at the Recovery Site, was eager to assist in helping to put all his stories and memories together to create From Landfill to Hallowed Ground. Currently she is a teacher in Staten Island. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Maria lives in Millstone, New Jersey, with her husband Michael and her three children, Alexa, Michael, and Delilah.
Books by Maria Bellia Abbate
The morning of September 11, 2001, began like any other morning for police Sergeant Frank Marra.
He woke up early, brewed his coffee, and got his son Anthony ready for kindergarten. That was until the image of the South Tower engulfed in flames and smoke interrupted televised broadcasts nationwide. From Landfill to Hallowed Ground follows the footsteps of Sergeant Frank Marra and the people whose lives were irrevocably changed in the aftermath of September 11. Marra and co-author Maria Bellia Abbate take readers to the Staten Island Landfill, where the largest moveable crime scene in America was combed and searched for those buried beneath the twisted metal, steel, and cement.
Step into the landfill mire with the New York City Police Department and the volunteers who searched tirelessly, often at great cost to themselves, for the remains of those silenced forever in the ashes. This heartrending story gives readers a never-before-seen glimpse of the days and months following the attack on September 11, and the stories that echo from “The Hill”—the hallowed ground of those who perished on that fateful day.