Bald eagle makes surprise appearance during Sept. 11 tribute

COON RAPIDS, Minn. — A bald eagle has visited a Minnesota tribute marking the 17th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

The national bird landed Tuesday on top of a firefighters’ aerial truck parked on a highway overpass in the northern Minneapolis suburb of Coon Rapids.

Members of the Andover Fire Department were gathered to pay tribute to the nearly 3,000 people who died in the attacks and to the 9/11 emergency responders.

The Fire Department posted video of the eagle’s landing on its Facebook page. After perching on the basket at the top of the truck, the eagle flew off.

The Star Tribune reports that the unscripted event happened after several firefighters had set up department vehicles on the overpass, posted U.S. flags and draped a banner over the railing reading, “We will never forget.”