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    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»Society»Crime»January 22, 1957: George Metesky the Mad Bomber Arrested!
    Crime

    January 22, 1957: George Metesky the Mad Bomber Arrested!

    Major DanBy Major DanJanuary 22, 2014Updated:January 20, 202046 Comments3 Mins Read
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    A Brief History

    On January 22, 1957, long before the terrorist bombings of recent years, the “Mad Bomber” terrorizing New York City was finally arrested!

    Digging Deeper

    Digging deeper, we find a city menaced by George Metesky (born 1903) from 1940 until his arrest in 1957.

    Placing at least 30 bombs around the city during his terror spree, Metesky was an angry and frustrated man who felt cheated by his former employer and the rest of society.

    He had been injured in 1931 while working for Consolidated Edison (Con-Ed) and had been disabled from lung injuries.

    Metesky thought he was never properly compensated for his lost health and lost a series of efforts to get workman’s compensation.  He also later claimed to have tried to attract media publicity for his case but was ignored, just as he claimed his pleas to various government agencies were ignored.

    Not surprisingly, the “Mad Bomber’s” first target was Con-Ed, where he left a pipe bomb on a window sill.  That bomb did not kill anyone, nor did any of the dozens that followed in the next 16 years, but the bombs were potentially lethal and several injuries were inflicted.

    Metesky left bombs in diverse places, from bathrooms to lockers, train stations and movie theaters.  He made his pipe bombs using pipe he machined himself and gunpowder, something anyone can buy in sporting goods stores, as the explosive.  A favorite method of his was to slice an upholstered seat in a movie theater and place the bomb inside the cushion where it was hidden.

    Oddly enough, Metesky communicated with the police via notes and promised to not place any bombs for the duration of World War II, a promise he lived up to.  Meanwhile, copy cats were sending mock ups of pipe bombs and notes purporting to be from the “Mad Bomber” which muddled the police investigation.

    Ultimately, Metesky would leave enough clues in his communication with the police and the media for the detectives involved in the massive effort to find and arrest him to finally be able to identify their culprit.  Searches of his property found the machine tools used to make the bombs as well as other bomb-making components.

    Found to be insane by the New York court system, Metesky was sent off to an insane asylum.  Although he was soon transferred to a second, non-criminal asylum, he behaved well and was held until 1973 when he was released.  Doctors had deemed him to not be a threat to society, and it was believed he would die soon.  Additionally, since his sentence would have been only 25 years if he had been convicted criminally, the 16 years he was hospitalized equaled about how long he would have been jailed if convicted.

    The “Mad Bomber” lived another 20 years and died at age 90 in 1994.  In spite of the publicity his case received and legal assistance in trying to reopen his workman’s compensation case, he was denied those benefits until the end.

    Question for students (and subscribers): How would you have sentenced Metesky?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    The single best book on this topic is…

    Greenburg, Michael M.  The Mad Bomber of New York: The Extraordinary True Story of the Manhunt That Paralyzed a City.  Union Square Press, 2011.

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    Major Dan
    Major Dan

      Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

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      <span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="1051 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=1051">46 Comments

      1. Avatar
        MB on January 22, 2014 10:14 am

        I found this article very interesting. I feel that if this would have been done today he would have to were life in prison or in death Rowe or live the rest of his life in a insane asylum. I can’t believe he was let out and no one thought he would do nothing more because if it was today’s society no one would think that.

        Reply
      2. Avatar
        kelseysherman on January 22, 2014 10:38 am

        This was pretty interesting. I find it surprising that he did not have to go to a criminal asylum for the whole time, because it seems like he was pretty violent.

        Reply
      3. Avatar
        Hannah Brewer on January 22, 2014 11:25 am

        It strikes me as surprising how much times have changed since then. If he were around today doing those actions he would probably face worse consequences.

        Reply
      4. Avatar
        Rachel on January 22, 2014 12:21 pm

        I am shocked that they ever let this man free. I don’t understand how he would no longer be considered a threat. It’s interesting to see how much times have changed.

        Reply
      5. Avatar
        Jessie Richter on January 22, 2014 1:46 pm

        I’m surprised that he was let free. He seemed like a very violent person, and should have been locked up the whole time. This just shows how much time has changed. The consequences now are much worse than they used to be.

        Reply
      6. Avatar
        K Kilzer on January 22, 2014 2:01 pm

        I’m surprised that he was so civil during WWII. You would think that would be the best time to cause upset and bring attention to his case. I’m glad when he was caught that he was seen as mentally ill. We have no idea how is injury from his previous job actually affected him. I’m not sure though that I would have felt safe living in New York after he was released but I’m going to assume he had people monitoring him most of the time anyway.

        Reply
      7. Avatar
        BY on January 22, 2014 3:24 pm

        If this occurred in today’s world, I don’t think he would have been released and set free. To me, he seemed like he was a violent person. I would want no one out on the town that has been known to place hidden bombs anywhere for this appears to be scary.

        Reply
      8. Avatar
        Katlyn Denissoff on January 22, 2014 3:29 pm

        After reading this article, I was so shocked that someone could place 30 bombs into a building without others finding out or knowing about it. I just don’t believe someone could get away with something like that so easily.

        Reply
      9. Avatar
        Morgan Wade on January 22, 2014 3:40 pm

        Even if he felt he was wronged by his employers, what he did was a terrible thing and it still would not bring the things that happened to him to justice. It’s scary that they were unable to catch him for so long, but in today’s times we would have the technology to catch him right away. It’s also scary that he was able to send notes to police without getting caught!

        Reply
      10. Avatar
        Madison Wright on January 22, 2014 4:00 pm

        I always found it interesting that people copy the crimes of others and pretend to be them. Why would they try to assume the identity of a bomber? If they wanted to bomb others, wouldn’t they do so for attention, retribution or something the Mad Bomber wanted. I cannot see any gain by making copy crimes other than the fact they would not be looked for due to the police looking for the original criminal.

        Reply
      11. Avatar
        C Majzun on January 22, 2014 5:48 pm

        I think this article is very interesting. Insane people who commit crimes are a very touchy subject in the American legal system, and I’ve studied them throughout high school. The fact that these people don’t realize what they’re doing is wrong, or do realize it but see it as just, makes the fact that they broke a law very hazy. It would be the same as a child committing a crime on accident. It is definitely a topic that still needs to be worked out by the higher courts in our country.

        Reply
      12. Avatar
        Matt Murphy on January 22, 2014 7:13 pm

        This was an interesting article not only because of him getting released from prison. But also how many bombs he placed, yet the Mad Bomber still isn’t a well known name. Which tends to be a motive for some criminals. Letting him out early was a definite risk and now in our times, I don’t believe they would have let him out.

        Reply
      13. Avatar
        cwank on January 22, 2014 7:42 pm

        I thought the most interesting part was the fact that he told authorities that he would not set off bombs during WWII. It shows he has at least some moral compass even though he obviously likes to terrorize people. I’m also wondering what his goal was since he never actually killed anyone, maybe he really did get ignored by everyone and wanted to have his voice heard.

        Reply
      14. Avatar
        HLM on January 22, 2014 7:48 pm

        I find it interesting that the Mad Bomber did not kill anyone with his bombs, instead he was only doing it to be noticed. It’s understandable that after being ignored for so long he would snap.

        Reply
      15. Avatar
        Natalyn B on January 22, 2014 7:52 pm

        I found this interesting because of how many bombs he placed and the different places he put them. When going to see a movie, a bomb would be the last thing on my mind. Even if he did feel wronged, he should not have taken his anger out that way.

        Reply
      16. Avatar
        Steven Thomas on January 22, 2014 7:57 pm

        Even though the bombs that he made weren’t lethal its still a major issue because it laid the foreground of other bombers

        Reply
      17. Avatar
        JHanna on January 22, 2014 9:46 pm

        It is surprising that none of the bombs he made killed anyone. It makes me curious if his intent was to harm or simply cause panic. Even if he did not intend to kill anyone I believe he should have served life in prison because of the dangerous nature and long duration of his crimes.

        Reply
      18. Avatar
        MO on January 22, 2014 9:56 pm

        I find it interesting that he placed the bombs in random places intending harm, but stopped the bombs, at least on his end, during WW2. A bomber doesn’t really seem like the kind of person who would just bomb constantly then stop for crisis then pick back up during peace times.

        Reply
      19. Avatar
        E DiPasquale on January 22, 2014 9:58 pm

        This man was clearly troubled, and understandably so. He was frustrated about his injury which led to these bombings, however it was not a justified nor appropriate way to go about handling his anger. I am surprised that he communicated with the police and even kept his promise to hold off on the bombings during the war. I think it was smart for him to be placed in an asylum, especially since he was declared mentally ill. Since he didn’t continue the bombings upon release, I think it’s safe to assume the situation really stemmed from his deep anger and resentment towards his lung injury.

        Reply
      20. Avatar
        Halee Heironimus on January 22, 2014 10:39 pm

        This “mad bomber” is a troubled man. Although it is surprising that he didn’t kill anyone by setting up those bombs all over the place, did he just set them up for fun or what?

        Reply
      21. Avatar
        Autumn Harmon on January 22, 2014 11:44 pm

        This article seems to be a cry for help since he was unable to get the help that he needed due to his disability . Since he was unable to get help he took it out on other people by placing bombs everywhere. Seems as if he wanted to make them suffer so they could understand what its like to not receive help. I am also shocked that he was able to set bombs off everywhere and no one knew or even questioned what he was doing at certain times. But the bombs that he made did not kill anyone just injured them so was he really trying to hurt them or was he just trying to make them suffer like I said before???

        Reply
      22. Avatar
        Sarah Guenther on January 22, 2014 11:55 pm

        I found this article interesting because the bombs seemed like they were only used to make the public aware of the Mad Bomber’s situation, not to harm anyone.

        Reply
      23. Avatar
        Catie Pauley on January 23, 2014 12:02 am

        While he was definitely disturbed/mentally unhealthy, I thought he should’ve faced more punishment than he got, since he put so many lives in danger, and inspired many copycat bombers. I also found it really interesting that he wouldn’t set off any bombs during WWII.

        Reply
      24. Avatar
        Luke Lyden on January 23, 2014 9:11 am

        I thought this article was particularly interesting. I thought it was interesting that the bombs did not kill anyone. That makes me believe that George Metesky’s intention was not to kill anyone more or less to damage things. Also, I have never heard of this particular criminal before. I am surprised he is not more well known.

        Reply
      25. Avatar
        Donny on January 23, 2014 9:14 am

        I think all the Mad bomber wanted to do by setting off these bombs was to get his voice heard. the punishment handed down to him was sufficient. I found it interesting that he was able to get away from the police for so long before he was actually caught.

        Reply
      26. Avatar
        Stephanie Hodgson on January 23, 2014 1:07 pm

        I found this article interesting because he did not kill anyone with his bombs and he did not set any off during World War II. Also, it is odd that he was sending the police notes and promises. By doing this, he must have known he would get caught eventually.

        Reply
      27. Avatar
        Lissy on January 26, 2014 3:36 pm

        I thought a couple of things in this article was interesting. First, the bombs that he planted, where they used to kill? Or just to make threats?. If that were true then why make notes saying that you promise not produce them anymore. I don’t think he was insane I think he just wanted to “show” the Con-Ed that he meant business because he didn’t get worker’s compensation. I also am surprised he lived to be 90 with the health conditions he had, because you normally don’t live that long with lung problems.

        Reply
      28. Avatar
        Bricker on January 26, 2014 11:09 pm

        If he would have received the compensation he felt he should have received, would he have continued to bomb these places? He seemed to be a very disgruntled employee and I feel it drove him over the edge. Fortunately, no one was killed but his anger toward society could have killed someone eventually. He definitely needed some type of mental help and he at least received it.

        Reply
      29. Avatar
        Vickie Christman on January 27, 2014 8:15 am

        I believe he should have been better compensated. However, back then the laws governing safety in the work place and workers comp. were not as strict as they are today. He may have still gone on the bombing spree even if better compensated, who knows. Non the less his actions were thoughtless and reckless towards others making the actions inexcusable. Maybe had he used all of that aggression in a positive manner there could have been better or different outcomes.

        Reply
      30. Avatar
        Deanna Nagle on January 28, 2014 10:03 pm

        Maybe someone listening to what he had to say would have stopped him from bombing but maybe not.

        Reply
      31. Avatar
        J Green on February 3, 2014 7:39 pm

        This man felt like he didn’t get what he deserved, since he was injured on the job and didn’t get the amount of workers compensation he thought he deserved. I feel like that this man had to have been mental disturbed, because yes, you would be angry, but not to the point you set bombs off in random places.

        Reply
      32. Avatar
        jprokay on February 9, 2014 9:17 pm

        I never understood what made people think that it is ok to kill people there is no need to kill people in this way

        Reply
      33. Avatar
        Kayla L on February 9, 2014 10:55 pm

        The good news was not these bombs were not as lethal as they would be in today’s time. The bad news is that a psychopath or sociopath went around planting these bombs. Before reading it, I would have never thought that bombs would be planted inside of lockers or under the seat cushions of movie theaters. What if someone in today’s time gets that idea? Should we tighten security where there are movie theaters and places (such as schools or fitness facilities) with lockers? He also put them inside bathrooms and train stations, which I would guess he may have only put them in men’s bathrooms (but who knows). When I hear about how Metesky was mad about losing his job, I think about how men’s unexpressive behaviors correlates with violence. Perhaps men should learn to talk about their problems, and then we wouldn’t have these types of situations where someone has so much self-pity that they begin to desire revenge and dehumanize others. I really think that is the root of the problem, sure Metesky is guilty of the crime for attempted murder, but it may have to do with our culture telling men to suppress their emotions.

        Reply
      34. Avatar
        cubby on February 10, 2014 12:01 pm

        What a nutcase. I guess we should’ve given him more compensation…

        Reply
      35. Avatar
        Brittany E on February 10, 2014 12:13 pm

        That’s scary to think that some random guy was going around planting bombs because of bottled up anger.

        Reply
      36. Avatar
        Owen on February 10, 2014 8:47 pm

        This man was clearly off the wall placing pipe bombs all around the city just because he couldn’t get his compensation.

        Reply
      37. Avatar
        KF on February 11, 2014 12:15 am

        I think that this article shows that just talking to frustrated people can help them a great amount to not make them do rash things like this.

        Reply
      38. Avatar
        Sadie Zegarac on February 11, 2014 1:18 am

        It’s amazing to me that it took the police a while to locate him. You would think that someone who leaves clues would get sloppy sooner than he did and get caught relatively quickly.

        Reply
      39. Avatar
        Nate Shifley on February 11, 2014 4:46 pm

        I would probably be angry if I did not get worker compensation too, but certainly not this angry. You never know what could set someone off, and this guy obviously had a hidden “skill set” people hadn’t counted on.

        Reply
      40. Avatar
        Mzegarac on February 11, 2014 5:23 pm

        It is one thing to try and harm the people that have to drove you to such anger, but harming random people at movie theaters makes you deserving of 16 years in a hospital.

        Reply
      41. Avatar
        RHILL on February 12, 2014 7:50 pm

        This was varry interesting. It was surprising that he did not get in more trouble

        Reply
      42. Avatar
        Rylee Scott on February 12, 2014 9:27 pm

        There is no need to act in such a way that he acted in. It is understandable to have anger as to what happened.. but there is no need to bomb random people that were innocent..

        Reply
      43. Avatar
        B Russo on February 13, 2014 9:44 am

        This is not a way he should have reacted at all! I mean he effected so many innocent peoples lives and I am sure he did not think about the repercussions that were going to come after his actions.

        Reply
      44. Avatar
        Jack C on February 13, 2014 8:08 pm

        Only a men who was mentally ill would of acted the way he did. It is understandable that he was sent to an insane asylum.

        Reply
      45. Avatar
        Stephan S on February 14, 2014 1:23 pm

        This is a case that is a touchy subject because of the recent bombings that have happened here in the US. On Metesky’s perspective on life, he was in a tough situation. Unemployment and disability services were probably not as good in his time as they are now. This likely meant that Metesky had a hard time living day to day life without money and work. His method of retaliation was very dangerous and foolish. I personally believe he was not crazy. He wanted to be heard when no one would listen, but he still shouldn’t have done what he had done. Unfortunately for him, if his situation happened in our era he would have most likely never starting him bombing spree. In conclusion, Metesky should have pushed harder on a political-peaceful method in solving his crisis.

        Reply
      46. Avatar
        S.Carson on April 1, 2014 2:12 pm

        I think that this is a touchy subject but I do believe that people who things like this have to be a little crazy. But I think that him not being heard was a big reason behind his madness.

        Reply

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