The Mad Bomber of New York (Part 1)

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Previously titled “Episode 678: The Mad Bomber of New York (Part 1)” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 3, 2026

Morbid 50 min 5 speakers 5 chapters transcribed

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What is the Mad Bomber of New York?

Alina 0:00

Hey weirdos, it's Ash. Before we dive into today's twisted tale, let me tell you about the spooky perks of Wondery Plus. It's like having a skeleton key that unlocks ad-free listening and early access to new episodes. So don't wait, try Wondery Plus today. You can join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or in Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Unknown 0:18

You're listening to a Morbid Network podcast. Redacted Declassified Mysteries is a new podcast hosted by me, Luke LaManna. Each week I dive into the hidden truths behind the world's most powerful institutions. From covert government experiments to bizarre assassination attempts. Follow Redacted on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Alina 0:44

Hey weirdos, I'm Ash. And I'm Alina. And this is Morbid.

Ash 1:03

This is morbid. I don't know. We had to run out of the, we literally just ran out of the house. We had to run out for a minute. And when we came back, Mikey had cleaned the entire studio and lit candles. And the vibe in here is just a zillion times better. So right.

Alina 1:25

It was like the greatest thing. in the entire world i feel so relaxed no i feel so much better i'm ordering panera as we speak and it's about this this vibe today is about to go crazy it's immaculate i'm immaculate i'm also feeling i'm feeling very much in the slasher summer vibe me too because i want to live in it I think it's been so like gloomy and a little bit chilly, which is nice. Oh yeah. And you've been wearing, like we've all been wearing comfy sweatshirts and yeggings. We put our yeggs in our yeggings and it just feels spooky.

Ash 2:01

Yeah. And I keep getting, I mean, TikTok's always feeding me my, my vibes. Halfway to Halloween. The halfway to Halloween and, like, slasher summer kind of shit. I'm getting a lot of that. I think because you keep saying it in my presence. It's getting me in such a mood for it. Yeah. Like, I need it. I'm craving it. And now I want to watch all the things... Like the summer slasher things. I want to read all the summer slasher things. I just watched a pretty good one actually at your recommendation. For Scream.

Alina 2:29

For Scream. We're going to be recording it today so it'll be out in like a couple weeks. But it's called Hell of a Summer. It was really good. It's the 2025 one. I think there's a couple movies that are called Hell of a Summer. It's brand new. But it just came out in April. It was funny. I thought it was fun. It looked fun when I saw it.

Ash 2:45

That's why I haven't watched it yet. But that's why I suggested it to you because when I saw it I was like, that's got the vibes. Yeah. It feels like it's like campy, literally. It is campy in every sense of the word. Yeah, campy, like fun slasher where you can laugh and also just kind of like bop along to it.

Alina 3:04

I love those kind of things. Yeah, I suggest it definitely. Go to Scream and listen to our episode to get our full opinion. Yeah. I'm excited to watch it. Let's go, girl.

Ash 3:13

But yeah, I'm trying to think if there's any more fun. If you're looking to preorder The Butcher Game in paperback, because paperbacks are great. Who doesn't fucking love a paperback? You know what I mean? You can put that shit anywhere. You can put it in your back pocket. I love when you say that you can put a paperback anywhere. I don't know. It's just a crazy sentence. You can literally put it anywhere. But you're not wrong. It's easier sometimes to carry in like a bag or people love to shove a book in their back pocket. Do they? Yeah, I've seen it a lot. Jess Mariano used to do it in Gilmore Girls. Big Jess move. I think that really laid the groundwork for me that people do that.

Alina 3:49

I think that imprinted on your soul.

Ash 3:51

I don't think anyone else does that.

Alina 3:53

I don't think I've ever seen anyone put a book in their back pocket. And actually, I feel like that would make... I feel like that would make you pretty angry.

Ash 4:01

Yeah, I wouldn't do it.

Alina 4:01

I can't even dog you a page without you dogging on me.

Ash 4:04

Well, I'm also, I'm a hardcover girl. Oh, okay. So it's like this, honestly, I have no business commenting on a paperback conversation. But you can comment on your own paperback.

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Chapters

5 chapters

1 What is the Mad Bomber of New York? 0:00–7:53 2 What happened with the first bomb discovered? 7:53–29:45 3 How did the Mad Bomber escalate his attacks? 29:45–39:06 4 What threats did the bomber make during WWII? 39:06–45:11 5 How did authorities respond to the bombings? 45:11–50:19

Speakers

5 identified

Ash 37 min Alina 6 min Unknown 2 min Luke LaManna 1 min Kristen Thorne 1 min

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Topics in this episode

Apple Podcasts 1 Spotify 1 Wondery Plus 1 Ash 2 NYPD 1 Mr. Ballin 1 John O'Keefe 1 Morbid 1 Mikey 1 Karen Reid 1 Alina 1 Law & Crime 1

Source

Recorded05 Jun 2025

Publisherrss.art19.com

CollectionAudioscrape Public Library

Transcriptspeaker-named · 100+ languages

Handlerec:294542

Show notes

In the fall of 1940, an employ of the Consolidated Edison Company in Manhattan discovered a bomb in the company’s main offices, along with a note that read “Con Edison crooks – this is for you.” The bomb was discovered before it detonated and no one was harmed, but a year later the company received a second bomb, followed by a note to NYPD in which the bomber announced he would make no bombs for the duration of WWII, but would begin again as the war ended.As promised, a new series of bombings began across New York in the winter of 1951, beginning with an explosion at Grand Central Station. In the five years that followed, “The Mad Bomber,” as he would come to be known, would place explosives at some of New York’s most iconic locations including Radio City Music Hall, Penn Station, and the New York Public Library. The bombs were often followed by cryptic letters sent to the press, usually referencing the Consolidated Edison Company.Th Mad Bomber’s reign of terror finally came to an end with his capture in 1957, and neither the suspect nor his motives made much sense to the New Yorkers who’d lived in fear for five years.Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!ReferencesAssociated Press. 1955. "The 'Mad Bomber' threatens Macy's." Buffalo News, May 5: 47.—. 1957. "'Bomber' sick but innocent, sisters say." Newsday, Janaury 22: 3.Baird, John, and Harry Schlegal. 1956. "Mad Bomber blast in B'klyn movie; 6 hurt." Daily News, December 3: 2.Berger, Meyer. 1957. "Bomber is booked; sent to Bellevue for mental tests." New York Times, January 23: 1.Demeusy, Gerald. 1981. "'Bomber' says life all broken dreams." Hartford Courant, November 16: 15.Greenburg, Michael M. 2011. The Mad Bomber of New York: The Extraordinary True Story of the Manhunt That Paralyzed a City. New York, NY: Union Square Press.Kaufman, Michael. 1973. "'Mad Bomber,' now 70, goes free." New York Times, December 13: 1.New York Times. 1957. "2d 'Bomber' note cites old injury." New York Times, January 16: 25.—. 1953. "A homemade bomb rips station locker." New York Times, May 7: 28.—. 1951. "Bomb blast in terminal: Homemade device explodes in Grand Central--no one is hurt." New York Times, March 30: 24.—. 1954. "Bomb in music hall injures 4 in crowd." New York Times, November 8: 1.—. 1951. "Bomb laid to prankster." New York Times, September 13: 33.—. 1957. "'Bomber' ordered to state hospital." New York Times, April 19: 44.—. 1957. "'Bomber' presses threat on utility." New York Times, January 11: 16.—. 1951. "Ex-Edison worker held in bomb case." New York Times, November 7: 32.—. 1966. "'Mad Bomber' to get hearing on sanity." New York Times, April 29: 17.—. 1957. "Metesky indicted on bomb charges." New York Times, January 31: 29.—. 1955. "Penn Station bomb blast is ignored by commuters." New York Times, Janaury 12: 11.—. 1951. "Police find bomb in Paramount Lounge; note spurs search for one at Penn Station." New York Times, October 23: 30.—. 1957. "Suspect is held as 'Mad Bomber'; he admits role." New York Times, January 22: 1.—. 1956. "The Mad Bomber." New York Times, December 30: B2.O'Kane, Lawrence. 1955. "Bomb left in Roxy; linked to 22 others." New York Times, August 12: 1.Parke, Richard. 1957. "Sisters shocked, loyal to brother." New York Times, January 23: 20.Sheridan, Mike. 1977. "Former Mad Bomber now a homebody." Hartford Courant, May 1: 22.Stay in the know - wondery.fm/morbid-wondery.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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