7 Disturbing Unsolved Mysteries In New Jersey That Will Leave You Baffled
By Kristen
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Updated on December 16, 2022
(Originally published December 11, 2022)
New Jersey may be small in terms of overall square mileage, but we pack a lot of strange stuff into our state nevertheless. We have loads of lore and many myths about miniature villages and things like portals to hell… you know, the usual. If you’re a fan of the supernatural, New Jersey has a lot to offer. However, if you are more interested in real-life mysteries, we have plenty of them too. Think you can solve these creepy crimes and strange disappearances? No one has for decades. Which of these unsolved mysteries in NJ is the eeriest to you? Let us know.
1. The Lindbergh Kidnapping
Possibly one of the most famous
unsolved mysteries in New Jersey history, you can see famed aviator Charles Lindbergh on the witness stand above. His son, Charles Jr., was abducted from the family's East Amwell home on the evening of March 1st, 1932. His body was found two months later near the Lindbergh home. Ransom had been demanded and paid, though the child was not returned. The bills were traced throughout the country and many led back to one man: Bruno Hauptmann. Bruno was convicted and executed but maintained his innocence until the very end. There are several theories suggesting another man, John Condon, was involved - but this has never been proven. Despite the case being "closed", there is no real confidence that it was actually ever solved, and the likelihood of the kidnapper having ever been apprehended is marginal.
2. The Disappearance of Gary Grant Jr.
On January 12th, 1984, seven-year-old Gary Grant Jr. told his mother he had an "appointment" at 2:30 but would be back later. His mother simply believed he had a play date but when he did not return by that evening the family grew concerned. After contacting Gary's friends, his mother learned that he did in fact spend time with them but left to go home at around 4:30. What happened after that is a mystery. Several days later his body was found bludgeoned in a parking lot just two blocks from the family's home. Nearly two years later, a message was found scrawled out on a police car, "Gary Grant is dead. I am living. Another will die on 1/12/86 if all goes right.". A second message, scratched into a sidewalk was found a few weeks later, "Gary Grant Jr. lives. I still killed him. Son of a pig officer. Payback is a M.F.". This led officials to believe Gary may have been murdered as revenge against his father, an Atlantic City cop. Even still, an emotionally disturbed friend was arrested for the crime. However, the case was later dismissed and the murder remains unsolved. This disturbing
cold case in New Jersey makes us all want to hug our own kids a little tighter tonight.
3. The Murder of Sigrid Stevenson
The above building may look just like any other on the College of New Jersey campus, but it isn't quite as welcoming. Kendall Hall was home to a gruesome murder in 1977 - the details of which still haunt the campus. The body of 25-year-old Sigrid Stevenson was found on the main stage of the music hall, beaten and bloody. It is believed that she attended a show the night before her body was found, and she had stayed behind after to practice the piano. She never left the building, and according to some, she is still there today. There have been no suspects or leads in her murder and it remains a cold case. This
unsolved murder in New Jersey remains a haunting reminder of the dark side of life.
4. Missing Atomic Bombs Off the Atlantic City Coast
On July 28th, 1957 an Air Force C-124 Globemaster, like the one pictured above, took off on a routine flight from Delaware to Europe. The plane's cargo consisted of several nuclear bombs and one nuclear core. Shortly after the flight began, the plane had some serious issues: two of the engines needed to be cut, and an emergency landing was essential. The pilot was to land at Atlantic City's Naval Air Station, but the plane was dropping too rapidly - cargo needed to be dropped immediately, or else. Two nuclear core-free missiles were dropped into the Atlantic Ocean several miles offshore as a result. Because the missiles did not have their cores, they contained no radioactive materials; still, they were highly explosive. No explosion was reported after the drop, though, and according to official reports, the bombs have not been found to this day. Where are they? We're not sure we want to know... but we're kind of curious.
5. The Ghost Sniper of Camden
On January 25th, 1928, a bus windshield and the windshields of four other vehicles were shattered by unknown projectiles while crossing the Camden Bridge. The attacks continued for months though no one was severely injured. No gunshots were heard and it is possible the perpetrators were menacing youths with slingshots. Even still, it is quite strange that there were so many attacks and no one was ever caught. To this day, this chilling case is known as the
Ghost Sniper of Camden, and there have never been any suspects.
6. The Disappearance of William Ebeneezer Jones III
On December 17th, 1962, three-and-a-half-year-old William Jones was playing in front of his Vineland home with his dog and younger sister. His mother says she was watching the children through the window, but left for a moment to check on her other son. When she returned, her daughter was standing in the doorway holding a plastic poinsettia; William was gone. His sister said that a man had given her the plant and taken William. The family searched the neighborhood and the police were called but no trace of William could be found. It is believed he may have been taken by either a sex offender or a family wanting to raise a child. William's case is the oldest unsolved disappearance of a child under five years of age in the state of New Jersey. He may still be out there today, alive and unaware that the folks he considers his parents are, in fact, his kidnappers. To this day it remains one of the eeriest
NJ unsolved mysteries.
7. The Missing Hide of the Morristown Murderer
A wealthy immigrant from France, Antoine Le Blanc got his start in America by working for a monied Morristown family. He didn't like his new life as a peasant, and developed a plan to rob and kill his employers. He succeeded but was later convicted of the crime nevertheless. On September 6th, 1833, Antoine was hanged for the murder of the Sayre family. It was after his death when things got truly strange. The town reveled in his hanging, and his body was used for medical experiments. His skin was allegedly made into leather souvenirs for local families. This was only a legend until 1995, when his death mask and coin purses made of strange flesh were found in an old shed. It is believed that the remainder of his hide is hidden in homes throughout the Morristown area. Uhh... yikes.
Do these stories give you the creeps? Which was the most chilling? Are there any other unsolved mysteries that you would add to the list? Which unsolved mysteries in NJ keep you awake at night? Let us know in the comments.
If you can’t get enough of New Jersey’s more spine-tingling tales, you might want to check out the spooky Shades of Death Road , or maybe embark upon a haunted New Jersey day trip … if you dare.
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More to Explore
Unsolved Mysteries in NJ
Tori Jane
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December 15, 2022
What are some eerie unsolved mysteries in NJ?
Every place has its cold cases and unsolved mysteries. Some of the eeriest unsolved mysteries in NJ are things such as:
The disappearance of Gary Grant, Jr
The disappearance of William Jones III
2. What are some haunting cold cases in NJ?
The list doesn’t stop at the above few; there are plenty of unsolved cold cases in NJ that still haunt investigators to this day, including cases like:
The infamous Lindbergh kidnapping
The sniper of Camden
3. What are some interesting stories from NJ history?
Of course, there’s more to New Jersey than its cold cases! Some truly interesting stories from NJ history include tales like:
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