The worst fears of the family and loved ones of Alexander and Sascha Pinczowski were realized Friday when they learned that the New York City siblings were among the dead in the Brussels attacks.
The Dutch nationals were waiting to board Delta Flight 34 to JFK Airport when a bomb exploded at the airport while Alexander, 29, was on the phone with their mom, Mariann, in Holland.
“We received confirmation this morning from Belgian authorities and the Dutch embassy of the positive identification of the remains of Alexander and Sascha from the terrorist bombing at the Brussels airport,” said James Cain, whose daughter Cameron was engaged to Alexander.
“We are grateful to have closure on this tragic situation, and are thankful for the thoughts and prayers from all. The family is in the process of making arrangements.”
Alexander had traveled to Holland to work on a craft-related business that he and Cameron were going to launch, Cain said.
The couple, who met six years ago in Durham, North Carolina, hadn’t set a wedding date but had planned to marry within the year, he said.
He called Alexander “intimidatingly smart, a brilliant young man.”
The siblings had hoped to obtain US citizenship one day, said Cain, a retired ambassador to Denmark.
Sascha, 26, a 2015 graduate of Marymount Manhattan College, spent last summer as an intern at the Chelsea production and design company Shiraz Events.
“We remember her as a warm and lively presence during her too brief time with us,” company president Shai Tertner said in a statement.
“Her maturity, motivation, humor and professionalism were marked characteristics in someone of her young age and we felt that she had a great future in our industry. We will miss her tremendously.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the deaths of Sascha and Alexander Pinczowski in the horrific Brussels attack. Two young siblings from our city were taken from us far too soon, and our hearts break for the family and friends of Sascha and Alexander.”
Meanwhile, it was announced that the wife of an Air Force lieutenant colonel was one of the two American citizens killed in the attack, according to Fox News.
It had previously been reported that an Air Force officer and several of his family members were injured during the bombings.
With Post wires