Northeast
The kidnapping of Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr, the 20-month-old baby abducted from his crib
American aviation and military officer Charles Lindbergh made history on May 20, 1927, when he departed for his first solo flight as a pilot across the Atlantic.
Less than five years later, on March 1, 1932, tragedy struck his family when his 20-month-old baby, Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr. was abducted from his New Jersey home with a $50,000 ransom note left behind.
The kidnapping and impending trial garnered substantial media attention.
At the time the search for the 20-month-old baby ensued, there were many ransom notes received, up until the accidental finding of Lindbergh, Jr.’s remains.
Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr., son of historic aviator Charles Lindbergh, was kidnapped on March 1, 1932. (Getty Images I NY Daily News via Getty Images)
5 WAYS TO MAXIMIZE YOUR CHANGES OF SURVIVAL IN A KIDNAPPING SITUATION: EXPERTS
- When was Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr. kidnapped?
- Did they ever find Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr.?
- What happened at the trial for the Lindbergh kidnapping?
1. When was Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr. kidnapped?
Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr. was kidnapped on March 1, 1932, when he was just 20 months old.
The Lindbergh baby was abducted from his nursery on the second floor of the family’s home near Hopewell, New Jersey, around 9:00 p.m., according to FBI.gov.
About an hour after he went missing, the baby’s nurse, Betty Grow, alerted his parents, the famous aviator Lindbergh and his wife Anne Morrow, that the 20-month-old was missing.
There was very little evidence in the room where the baby was abducted from, apart from a ransom note on the window sill that demanded $50,000.
7 STORIES OF CHILDREN WHO WERE KIDNAPPED, SURVIVED THEIR ABDUCTIONS AND WERE REUNITED WITH THEIR FAMILIES
The New Jersey State Police began investigating the high-profile case, which went on for many months. Numerous ransom notes followed on the heels of the first.
A search of the crime scene did not reveal any incriminating evidence. Indistinguishable muddy footprints and two sections of a ladder used to reach the second floor window that were broken were found at the scene.
When the baby was abducted from the Lindbergh home, he was 20 months old. (BIPS/Getty Images)
No fingerprints were uncovered, according to FBI.gov.
On March 6, 1932, a second ransom note was received, postmarked from Brooklyn, New York, according to the Library of Congress. This ransom note increased the demanded amount to $70,000.
Soon after the retrieval of a third ransom note, Lindbergh appointed Dr. John F. Condon, a retired Bronx school teacher, to act as an intermediary between himself and the kidnapper.
Around March 10, 1932, Condon possessed the $70,000 in ransom money and began negotiations for payment through newspaper columns under the code name “Jafsie,” according to FBI.gov.
CAN AI HELP SOMEONE STAGE A FAKE KIDNAPPING SCAM AGAINST YOU OR YOUR FAMILY?
Condon followed detailed directions to meet with the alleged kidnapper who went by the name “John.”
On March 16, along with the seventh ransom note received, Condon was delivered a sleeping suit belonging to Lindbergh, Jr., according to FBI.gov.
On April 2, 1932, Condon received two more ransom notes, the 11th and 12th, leading him to meet with “John” for the final time. During this meeting, $50,000 was paid in exchange for the safe return of Lindbergh, Jr.
Condon was given a 13th note that detailed the location of the kidnapped child, who was allegedly being held on a boat named “Nellie” near Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, according to FBI.gov.
A search for the baby began around Martha’s Vineyard, but the boat was not found.
2. Did they ever find Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr.?
Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr. was found, but not because the ransom note led investigators to his location.
On May 12, 1932, the badly decomposed body of Lindbergh, Jr. was accidentally stumbled upon by a truck driver about four and a half miles away from the family’s home, according to FBI.gov.
THE KIDNAPPING CASE OF 1-MONTH-OLD PETER WEINBERGER FROM JULY 4, 1956
A blow to the head was determined the cause of death after the coroner’s examination, according to FBI.gov, with the 20-month-old baby having been dead for around two months by the time he was found.
The body of the Lindbergh baby was found badly decomposed on May 12, 1932. (Getty Images)
3. What happened at the trial for the Lindbergh kidnapping?
After finding the body, the New Jersey police issued a $25,000 reward for those who had valuable information regarding the case, according to the Library of Congress.
In 1933, the FBI gained jurisdiction over the case, per the source, and nearly a year passed before any discoveries connected to the murder were made.
An executive order passed which required all gold and gold certificates to be returned to the treasury. This proved helpful to the case, as much of the ransom money paid was in gold certificates.
Additionally, the New York City Bureau Office provided copies of a revised pamphlet that comprised serial numbers of ransom bills to employees handling currency in places including banks, grocery stores and gas stations, according to FBI.gov.
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF CHARLEY ROSS, THE FIRST KNOWN VICTIM OF KIDNAPPING FOR RANSOM IN THE US
The reporting of gold certificates eventually led to the arrest of a German-born carpenter named Bruno Richard Hauptmann.
A gas station attendant was suspicious of a $10 gold certificate used as payment and wrote down the license plate number belonging to the man who used it, according to FBI.gov.
After that, Hauptmann’s house went under surveillance by the authorities, according to FBI.gov, and on the night of Sept. 18, 1934, a man was spotted who fit the description of “John,” as provided by Condon and the description of the man who purchased the gasoline with the $10 gold certificate.
Bruno Richard Hauptmann was found guilty of Charles Lindbergh, Jr.’s murder and sentenced to death. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
When Hauptmann was arrested, he admitted to having made several purchases with ransom certificates and his residence was searched. There were ransom certificates valuing over $13,000 found in his garage, according to FBI.gov. During his defense, Hauptmann claimed the money was being held for a friend who had died, according to Britannica.
Hauptmann was indicted on charges of extortion on Sept. 29, 1934, in Brox County, New York, and on Oct. 8, 1934, for murder in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, according to FBI.gov.
The trial, which has been called “The Trial of the Century,” began on January 2, 1935, in Flemington, New Jersey.
The wood of the ladder used in the kidnapping matched wood in Hauptmann’s attic flooring, the phone number of Condon found in a closet door frame in his residence and handwriting samples were used as evidence against Hauptmann.
The trial came to a close on Feb. 13, 1935, with the jury finding Hauptmann guilty of murder in the first degree following 11 hours of deliberation.
Hauptmann was sentenced to death and, after unsuccessful appeals, was electrocuted on April 3, 1936.
This case led to the passage of the Federal Kidnapping Act in 1932, also known as Lindbergh Law, which made kidnapping a federal offense and allowed FBI involvement in kidnappings where victims were taken across state lines.
Read the full article from Here
Northeast
Pilot, passenger swim to safety after plane crashes into New York’s Hudson River
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A pilot and passenger swam through the frigid waters of the Hudson River and reached shore safely after their Cessna 172 made an emergency landing Monday night, officials said.
The aircraft had taken off from Long Island when the pilot was forced to land in the river just after 8 p.m., the Middle Hope Fire Department said in a Facebook post.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident.
Middle Hope Fire Department responders, along with personnel from other agencies, were dispatched to the scene. After a brief search, first responders located the plane within the City of Newburgh, authorities said.
A plane wades in the Hudson River. (Facebook/Middle Hope Fire Department)
Fire officials said the two occupants were able to free themselves from the aircraft and swim to shore. Newburgh Emergency Medical Services evaluated the pair before they were transported to a nearby hospital for further treatment.
Multiple agencies were on the scene after a plane crashed into the Hudson River. (Facebook/Middle Hope Fire Department)
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul hailed the incident as “Another miracle on Hudson.”
“Thank God both the pilot and passenger of a single engine plane that performed an ice landing near Newburgh have been located with only minor injuries,” the governor wrote in a post on X. “Grateful to our first responders for their quick actions.”
A plane made an emergency landing on the Hudson River Monday evening. (Facebook/Middle Hope Fire Department)
New York Rep. Pat Ryan said he was “closely monitoring reports of a small plane making an emergency landing near the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge.”
“I’m in touch with officials on the ground, who have shared that both passengers are safely out of the water & have been evacuated by EMS,” he said. “Incredibly grateful for our Hudson Valley first responders who are responding swiftly and put their lives on the line to keep others safe.”
First responders found the plane within the city limits of Newburgh. (Facebook/Middle Hope Fire Department)
The cause of the emergency landing remains under investigation.
Read the full article from Here
Boston, MA
Boston honors first casualty of American Revolution – The Boston Globe
“In moments of challenge and in moments of conflict, it does feel easier to put your head down,” Wu said at an event at the Old State House commemorating Attucks.
“Remembering the full history pushes us to be the beacon of freedom that the rest of the country and the rest of the world so very much needs.”
Inside the Old State House’s council chambers, city leaders, historians, and students gathered to celebrate Attucks’ legacy. They talked about the importance of memorializing him during a time when many present said the contributions of people of color to American history were being erased by the Trump administration, and the country’s founding principles were under attack.
Senator Lydia Edwards said the death of Attucks and the four others killed during the Boston Massacre helped establish important legal principles that still guide the country today.
Following the killings, British soldiers involved in the incident were put on trial. John Adams, who later became president, agreed to defend them in court, arguing that the rule of law must be upheld even during times of intense conflict.
“Even in these moments of strife, oppression of rogue federal government, that we remember that we stood up and still held to our court system, to the rule of law and to due process,” Edwards said. “We also remember who had to die in order to remind ourselves to do that.”
City Councilor Brian Worrell said Attucks was a symbol of the long struggle for equality in the country.
“It’s a story that is a reminder that Black and Indigenous Americans have always been at the forefront [of] the fight for justice,” Worrell said.
He said when he recounts Boston’s Black history, he almost always starts with Attucks’ story.
“He fought not simply against the tea tax or the Stamp Act, he fought for the most basic of rights. He fought for equal human lives. It’s a fight we as a city are still having,” he said.
Wu spoke about how on March 5, 2025, she was called to testify before Congress about Boston’s immigration policies during a six-hour hearing. She touted Boston’s safety record amid aggressive questioning, arguing that the city’s immigration policies improved public safety.
“On the 255th anniversary of the Boston Massacre, on Crispus Attucks Day, there was no way that this city wasn’t going to be represented in standing up for what’s right,” Wu said.
A chandelier lit the council chamber and red curtains covered its historic windows. On both sides of the room, students sat with their teachers. Winners of the Crispus Attucks Essay Contest, which invites local students to explore Attucks’ legacy, sat next to the podium.
“Sometimes history repeats itself,” said Toni Martin, an attendee at the event, who came to support her niece, who was being awarded. “Sometimes it gets better, but it takes revolutionary people to make change perfect.”
Outside of the State House after the commemoration, Sharahn Pullum, 18, who came in second for the essay contest, said, “My inspiration was just getting the opportunity to speak on something that matters.”
Michael Kelly, 65, joined the wreath-laying ceremony that took place at the Boston Massacre Commemorative Plaza. Kelly held a sign that said, “Ice Out Be Goode,” referring to Renee Good, a US citizen who was shot and killed by immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Kelly said he had been standing at the plaza for three hours and is planning to stand there the entire day.
“People can stretch their imaginations to understand that this place, what happened here, is not at all different than what happened in Minneapolis,” Kelly said with tears in his eyes. “People standing up for something they believe in is vastly important, and we can’t be daunted.”

Aayushi Datta can be reached at aayushi.datta@globe.com.
Pittsburg, PA
Pirates Winning Streak Ends With Loss to Cardinals
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a strong showing so far in the Grapefruit League, but suffered a surprising defeat.
The Pirates lost 3-2 to the St. Louis Cardinals at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla., taking just their third defeat in Spring Training so far, dropping to 9-3 in the Grapefruit League.
Pittsburgh saw their five-game winning streak come to an end, but they are still level with the New York Yankees at the top of the Grapefruit League standings.
This game also came after the first off day for the Pirates on March 4 and a 7-1 win over Team Colombia in an exhibition at LECOM Park on March 3.
How the Pirates Fell to the Cardinals
Pirates right-handed pitcher Mitch Keller made his third start in the Grapefruit League and threw three scoreless innings, before giving up a solo home run to Cardinals third baseman Nolan Gorman on a slider down in the zone, putting the road team up 1-0 in the top of the fourth inning.
That represented the first run that Keller gave up all Spring Training and Pirates left-handed relief pitcher Derek Diamond came in for him after he gave up a single to Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker.
Keller has just a 1.23 ERA over 7.1 innings for the Pirates in the Grapefruit League, a good start for the veteran on the starting rotation.
St. Louis loaded the bases against Pirates left-handed relief pitcher Evan Sisk in the top of the fifth inning with three walks, but Sisk struckout top prospect in shortstop JJ Wetherholt and forced Gorman into a double play to keep it a one-run game.
Pirates right-handed relief pitcher Chris Devenski gave up a run in the top of the sixth inning, as he walked second baseman Ramón Urías, who stole second base, then gave up a single to catcher Pedro Pagés, doubling the Cardinals’ lead at 2-0.
The Pirates tied the game up at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning, as shortstop Alika Williams hit a two-run home run off of Cardinals left-handed pitcher Quinn Mathews.
Pirates right-handed relief pitcher Cam Sanders gave up the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning, hitting leadoff batter Joshua Baez with a pitch and then giving up a single to pinch-hitter Jimmy Crooks to make it 3-2.
Right fielder Ryan O’Hearn had a strong showing for the Pirates in the loss to the Cardinals with two hits in two at-bats. He is now slashing .462/.563/.769 for an OPS of 1.332 in six Grapefruit League games.
Outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia had a hit off the bench for the Pirates, as he is now slashing .533/.611/.733 for an OPS of 1.344 in seven games.
Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates!
-
World1 week agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Wisconsin4 days agoSetting sail on iceboats across a frozen lake in Wisconsin
-
Massachusetts1 week agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Maryland5 days agoAM showers Sunday in Maryland
-
Massachusetts3 days agoMassachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks
-
Florida5 days agoFlorida man rescued after being stuck in shoulder-deep mud for days
-
Denver, CO1 week ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Oregon6 days ago2026 OSAA Oregon Wrestling State Championship Results And Brackets – FloWrestling