A moment of striking serendipity was captured in a now viral video Tuesday when a bald eagle landed atop a Minnesota fire truck that was part of a ceremony commemorating the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The video shows the eagle perched at the end of a fire truck aerial that was being used to suspend an American flag along a highway in the northern Minneapolis suburb of Coon Rapids.
“Isn’t that unbelievable?” said Andover Fire Chief Jerry Streich, who caught the video footage and shared it on the Andover fire department’s Facebook page. “Phenomenal.”
The video has been viewed more than two million times.
“There’s no better symbol to represent America today than a flag but then for an eagle to land on a fire truck holding a flag, I mean, it doesn’t get much more symbolic than that,” said Streich told Minnesota-based KARE-TV.
“I had to look at it a few times,” he said. “And then I thought, I need to videotape this!”
Across the country, Americans held somber ceremonies to mark the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, where four hijacked planes were used to kill nearly 3,000 people, the deadliest terror attack on American soil.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- Jane Fonda Champions Climate Action for Every Generation
- Biden’s Campaign Is In Trouble. Will the Turnaround Plan Work?
- Why We're Spending So Much Money Now
- The Financial Influencers Women Actually Want to Listen To
- Breaker Sunny Choi Is Heading to Paris
- Why TV Can’t Stop Making Silly Shows About Lady Journalists
- The Case for Wearing Shoes in the House
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Contact us at letters@time.com