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)
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- 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of John F. Kennedy, has built his campaign for a New York City House seat around turning the page on the Democrats’ old guard.
Yet when he debuts his first paid advertisement on Wednesday, the 33-year-old candidate has chosen his party’s oldest living leader, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, to do the talking.
The choice reflects the unique challenge Mr. Schlossberg faces ahead of a marquee June primary against more seasoned rivals. He may have star power and youth, but he is still trying to persuade aging voters who form the Democratic base that he is serious and experienced enough to represent a storied Manhattan district — home to corporate chieftains, media empires and cultural meccas.
The 30-second ad, which was shared first with The New York Times, uses Ms. Pelosi, a former House speaker, to make his case. In it, the congresswoman, 86, speaks directly to the camera to say that Mr. Schlossberg has “a deep sense of duty” and the kind of energy that could help propel Democrats back to power nationally.
“This moment calls for leaders who understand the stakes and how to deliver for the people they serve,” she says, sometimes over clips of him campaigning. “Jack Schlossberg is that kind of leader.”
Mr. Schlossberg is among the first candidates in New York’s 12th District to start spending on paid media. But a handful of super PACs funded by competing A.I. companies and former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg have already burned through millions of dollars trying to sway voters toward or away from his rivals.
Mr. Schlossberg’s outlay will be relatively modest in comparison. The campaign said it would initially spend $70,000 on digital platforms, and eventually add more digital spending and $250,000 in broadcast TV time — a relatively small sum in the nation’s most expensive media market.
Mr. Schlossberg, who has reported inherited assets between $10 million and $32 million, said he would not be spending any of his own money in the race. He does not have a super PAC behind him.
While there has been no real public polling to date, private polls released by several of Mr. Schlossberg’s rivals have all narrowly put him in the lead.
With two months left until Primary Day, two state assemblymen — Alex Bores and Micah Lasher — are not far behind; followed by George Conway, a former Republican turned high-profile antagonist of President Trump, and Nina Schwalbe, a public health expert. Because the seat is safely Democratic, the primary winner will almost certainly win the general election to replace Representative Jerrold Nadler, who is retiring.
Mr. Schlossberg, earlier known for a head-turning social media presence, has largely tried to portray his opponents as old-fashioned, risk-averse establishment figures who have not been able to check Mr. Trump. They, in turn, have raised doubts about the thinness of his résumé, which includes no long-term traditional work experience, elected or otherwise.
In an interview, Mr. Schlossberg said it was an obvious choice to turn to Ms. Pelosi, who is perhaps her party’s most respected elder stateswoman.
“Speaker Pelosi is the backbone of our party,” he said. “She most importantly understands better than anyone how the House of Representatives works and what the Democratic Party needs right now.”
Yet embracing Ms. Pelosi may also have its costs, complicating Mr. Schlossberg’s attempts to position himself as an outsider and a fresh face by reminding voters of his family’s deep ties to the Democratic establishment.
Mr. Schlossberg said he believes he first met Ms. Pelosi when he was in high school. Alongside his family, he presented her with the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in 2019.
The candidate said Ms. Pelosi asked to meet with him in her Washington office before she endorsed his campaign in February.
“I printed out all my plans I have for the district and the country,” he said. “She read them over and quizzed me.”
An earlier version of the ad shared with The Times included footage of Mr. Schlossberg and Ms. Pelosi spending time with his mother, the former ambassador Caroline Kennedy, and his niece, the daughter of his sister Tatiana Schlossberg. (Ms. Schlossberg, who was an environmental journalist, died in December after a fight with blood cancer that she chronicled in a widely read essay.) That footage was cut from the final ad before it was distributed.
In the interview, Mr. Schlossberg said he exempted Ms. Pelosi from his critique of this party’s aging officials — and argued voters would, too.
“I put her in a category of her own,” he said. “She has magic that doesn’t age. It wins.”
News
Ellie Ayati-Jian and Jaine Davies, two Greater Boston milliners, are raising the brim—and the bar.
Pretty in pink, blue, and yellow and festooned with ribbon, feathers, and a bold flower, this fascinator was created by Ellie Jian Millinery. / Photo by Steph Larsen / Styling by Abby Brenc for Anchor Artists
At spring events like the Kentucky Derby and Boston’s own “hat luncheon,” the Emerald Necklace Conservancy’s annual Party in the Park, hats have long shaped the conversation—an expected flourish of brim and bloom marking the start of the season. In recent years, however, the role of the hat has evolved, from celebratory flourish to considered craft.
Leading that charge locally is Ellie Jian Millinery, the Newton studio founded by Ellie Ayati-Jian. Trained in architecture and interior design, Ayati-Jian brings a structural sensibility to her work, approaching millinery less as ornament and more as wearable design. Her hats—ranging from floral fascinators to structured couture pieces—are engineered with intention, balancing form, proportion, and comfort. “What drew me in was the energy and sense of community around derby events,” Ayati-Jian says. “They bring together fashion, tradition, and celebration in a very social way.” That social element remains central to her work: She’s a familiar presence at Boston events, often modeling her own designs to show how even bold headpieces can feel approachable.
This Ellie Jian Millinery pink fascinator is anchored by deep blue handmade flower. / Photo by Steph Larsen / Styling by Abby Brenc for Anchor Artists
Ayati-Jian’s creative process begins not with sketching, but with research—architecture, art, fashion history, or a client’s personal story—until a concept emerges. She often spends days gathering visual references before touching a single material, allowing a narrative to emerge before form takes shape. From there, she shapes and refines her hats by hand.
Ayati-Jian says toppers incorporating clean shapes, softer brims, and sculptural forms are now trending—which, given the city’s fashion predilections, is a big advantage. “Boston style is generally more conservative, and I think that works beautifully with this direction,” she says. “Bostonians appreciate quality, craftsmanship, and timeless design.”
The “Monaco” by IndigoHats is made of silk with a peacock feather. / Photo courtesy of Jaine Davies/IndigoHats
She’s not the only one taking advantage of the recent hat craze. Raised in England near a major horse race, Jaine Davies, whose millinery studio, IndigoHats, is based on the South Shore, grew up immersed in a culture where hats signaled occasion. Her ideas often begin in a small notebook she carries everywhere, filled with details spotted at museum exhibitions and in historical garments. “Couture runway shows are really important to study,” says Davies, who observes the season’s designer dresses closely, translating their colors, embroidery, and silhouettes into hats ready for her studio. She handblocks each piece on traditional wooden forms and sews every hat by hand, pairing time-honored techniques with an adventurous use of materials. Alongside classic straws, Davies works with Dupioni silks, richly patterned textiles, beadwork, and meticulously crafted feather flowers designed to be as light as they are dramatic.
For Davies, drama and discipline go hand in hand. “I want to wow from a distance and impress close up with how well made they are,” she says. Indeed, her hats accomplish exactly that.
The shop’s “Aster” is a pillbox style with quills and sophisticated veiling. / Photo courtesy of Jaine Davies/IndigoHats
This article was first published in the print edition of the April 2026 issue, with the headline,“Head First.”
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