Running Into History

Today I am talking to JJ from Philly about the disappearance of Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar in 2005. In this episode we will do a deep dive into all of the evidence surrounding this interesting story. Did Gricar end his own life? Was he murdered? Or did he just walk away? After talking to JJ in this episode, my opinion has shifted to a high probability of one of these scenarios. This might change your mind too. #centrecountypa #raygricar #sandusky #centrecountyhistory #jjfromphilly #runningintohistory #pennstate #psu

What happened to Nicholas Grassmyer?Also: Martino, Wertz, Altoona Mafia#truecrime #altoonapa #blaircountyhistory #mafia #verillacrew #mobstories #pittsburghmafia #larocca #nicholasgrassmyer #coldcase #altoonapennsylvania #bellwood #tyrone

Interview with a retired BCP Corrections Officer who worked at the Blair County Prison from 1976 to 1988. Many infamous Altoona area prisoners went through the BCP doors on his watch.The Verilla Mafia crew, Larry Christy, James Stehley, Charles Soult, Vernon Renfro, Donald Wertz, and many more.After BCP he moved into the state prison system, and was called to respond to the Camp Hill Prison riot in 1989.#blaircountyprison #camphillstateprisonriot #Altoonamafia #verillacrew #blaircountyhistory

#altoonapa #blaircountyhistory #altoonamafia #mobstories #mafia #pittsburghmafia #lacosanostra

Joe Martino - Altoona MAFIA, Verilla crew associate.#altoonapa #altoonamafia #mobstories #pittsburghmafia #larocca

2005 Miguel Padilla shooting at the UVA club, 1982 Tina Crone shooting that Donald Monahan was prosecuted for.

The 1970 Penn State documentary The Darlene Chronicles, was filmed just outside of Altoona Pennsylvania.#altoonapa #darlenechronicles #blaircountyhistory #appalachia #offgrid #abandoned

In two past episodes, I mentioned a dangerous animal terrorizing Penbrook and Edgemont in 1916.A reptile from the Florida mud, crawling through Pennsylvania leaves.An alligator, loose in Spooky Hollow in the fall of 1916, turning a quiet working town into something closer to a frontier settlement overnight.Boys formed hunting parties. Families kept children inside. Rumors spread faster than facts.And then, in April of 1917, it ended the way small-town legends often do — not with a sheriff or a soldier, but with a boy from Herr Street and a lucky blow beside a narrow run of water.But the question that lingered was never really about the alligator.Who brought it here?Where did it come from?And where, exactly, did it escape?This is the story of the Spooky Hollow alligator of 1916.#penbrookpa #harrisburgpahistory #dauphincountypahistory

The Killing of my friend Lamar Johnson.Altoona Pennsylvania 1992.#altoonapa #truecrime #runningintohistory

Follow-up to my conversation with John Verilla III, about his family's mafia history in Altoona.

Today I am talking to John Verilla the 3rd. He is the grandson of John Jack Verilla.If you have been following my Altoona mafia series you know that John Jack Verilla was an associate for the LaRocca mafia family in Pittsburgh. John was given control of Altoona by underboss Kelly Mannarino in the 1950's.John Verilla the 3rd was a child growing up during this period of the 70s, and eventually watched as his family was torn apart by arrests, trials and convictions. Today John manages real estate in the Altoona area and is active in community service.#altoonapa #altoonamafia #pittsburghmafia #mobstories #mafia #truecrime #blaircountyhistory #blaircountypa #verillacrew #verilla

Gangs of Altoona, The Verilla Mafia Crew, Unsolved murder of Big Bill Taylor, WWII Veterans memorial, what happened to my old neighborhood?#altoonapa #history #blaircountyhistory #altoonahistory #forgottenhistory #wwII #ww2 #charlesbronson #southforkpa #mobstories #mafia #blackhand #truecrime

Three doctors. One of America's deadliest disasters (Johnstown Flood).Mafia bombings. A mine disaster that shaped one of Hollywood’s toughest legends (Charles Bronson).A secret floor that waited half a century to be found.See the full video and Dr. Hawkins hidden office hidden above the South Fork bank:https://youtu.be/kmTY7mU8m4A?si=VGWQ0f5oKE04T7aH#southforkpa #southforkdam #cambriacountypa #Johnstownflood #ehrenfeldmine #charlesbronson #hiddenhistory #timecapsule

History of the Harrisburg Greenbelt/Parkway.Paxtang Parkway, Wentzel's Swamp (Wildwood Lake), Cameron Parkway, Riverfront Park, Paxtang Park, Reservoir Park.See my Youtube channel for video versions of this podcast:https://www.youtube.com/@runningintohistory#harrisburgpa #harrisburgpahistory #miralloyddock #greenbelt #JHoraceMcFarland #Warrenmanning #citybeautiful #dauphincountyhistory

The Goatman of Bowie Maryland - 2000Did we find the Goatman?See me Youtube channel for the video version:https://www.youtube.com/@runningintohistory#goatman #bowiemaryland #weirdmaryland #unexplainedmaryland #marylandmonsters #Smalltownmonsters #scarystories #campinghorror #campingnightmare #weirddarkness #addiction #alcoholism

Camping at the location of the alleged 2012 Weiser State Forest Bigfoot RV attack. The Lykens Werewolf and other campfire tales.#bigfoot #sasquatch #cryptid #bigfootattack #wesierstateforest #werewolves #scaryhistory #lycanthropy #werewolfoflykens #campfiretales #halloween

In this episode, we discuss listeners confirming that I am from Altoona, why Altoona is still my hometown, Elda Furry/aka Hedda Hopper's West Altoona neighborhood, the Gangs of Altoona, the 1976 Daugherty/Heath murder spree and the current status of the stolen guitar.#altoonapa #altoonacontroversy #altoonamafia #jeffreydaugherty #eldafurry #heddahopper #horseshoecurve #blaircountyhistory #runningintohistory

Murder trials for the the Pittsburgh LaRocca family, Verilla Crew, aka. "The Family," that controlled Altoona PA.In 1979, while Three Mile Island was leaking radiation into the air, The Verilla Crew that controlled Altoona PA, began a brutal clamp down on loose ends within the organization. Starting with the murder of John Clark at Mineral Point, Cambria County, then Scott Hileman was dumped in the Tipton reservoir. Other bodies would turn up around the same time (Francis Misitano, on Wopsy mountain Game Lands). Crew hitman Preston Ryan would shoot two people at the Buckhorn Inn.Watch the video versions of this podcast here:https://youtu.be/5QePkLyscRA?si=yAhzS1qccX7YcRBM#altoona #altoonapa #blaircountyhistory #mafia #mobstories #altoonamafia

Follow up to my Altoona mafia video.https://youtu.be/JYMZBXoaqys?si=d2BiP_oSMSF8zRk-Video version of this podcast:https://youtu.be/cS1TzUNSSpE?si=EeJ6-UIwe08po7GQ#altoonapa #mobstories #mafia #blair county history

In 1979, Verilla Crew hitman Preston Ryan shot Harry Walters (20) and James Tyson (24) in front of 200 people at the secluded Buckhorn Inn, Altoona PA. 46-years-later, a witness to the shooting, musician/songwriter Ken Earnest joins me to tell us what he witnessed that night. We also discuss the Altoona music scene during the 70s and 80s....#mafia #hitman #laroccafamily #pittsburghmafia #mobstories #altoonamafia #verillacrew #thefamily #altoonapa #altoonapahistory #mobhistory #truecrime #blaircoutyhistory

Teresa tells her story. You will never see The Darlene Chronicles the same again.Teresa is the first born daughter of Darlene Myers. She was 6 when filming started for "Visiting with Darlene" in 1970, at the hunting cabin in the woods of Blair County. Teresa finally tells her own story, including the challenges of growing up in the conditions that we all observed in the documentary. We also discuss what happened to her sister Tracey's children. Teresa and her sister Bonnie are the only surviving children of Darlene.#thedarlenechronicles #vistingwithdarlene

Special guest, historian Russell Love joins me to discuss the fascinating history and route of the 1881 South Pennsylvania Railroad and the long forgotten rail tunnels that were not transferred to the PA Turnpike in 1937.Stay tuned to my Youtube channel for the upcoming explore of this abandoned rail line.#southpennsylvaniarailroad #southpennrailroad #eastbroadtop #shadegaprail #pennsylvaniaturnpike #pennsylvaniahistory #hiddenhistory

Mike Albert is a retired Green Beret that served with the 20th Special Forces Group (same group as Tim Kennedy). He served during the Vietnam War, Desert Storm and countless operations during the Cold War. He also served as a Police Officer in York City and in Lancaster County Pennsylvania. After retiring from policing and the military, due to a broken back from a parachuting accident with the 20th, Mike moved to the Philippines to work as the Director of Police Training for the International Justice Mission, where he trained Law Enforcement to recognize, investigate and prosecute human traffickers. Mike later served as the Mayor of Wrightsville Borough.Mike dedicated his life to serving his country and his community. This is his story.#greenberet #specialforces #lawenforcement #20thspecialforces #shawnryan #vietnam

Amidst the Yellow Fever outbreak and passing of the Quarantine Act of 1878, residents along the Susquehanna River in Wrightsville and Columbia began reporting a strange creature surfacing from the waters between the two towns. Search parties were formed, songs would be written, calls for military and police intervention and boaters would start shooting at the creature.This is the story as reported in the newspapers of that time.#pennsylvaniahistory #weirddarkness #rivermonster #columbiapennsylvania #wrightsvillepennsylvania #yorkcountyhistory #susquehannariver #sealion

On June 7th, 1944, a B-24 took off from Olmsted Air Base in Middletown Pennsylvania for a test flight. On board were 3 civilian technicians and 2 military pilots. Just as the bomber took off, electrician Norman Shuey Jr noticed that the engine was on fire. The pilot attempted to circle around back to Olmsted field but the Liberator kept losing altitude to the point where the captain told the crew that they were going to crash and they would have to jump. Norman, with no parachute training grabbed the chute that he was using as a seat cushion and put it on He then helped his Co-worker, 27-yr-old Carlisle native Wilfred Rainsford put his chute on. Norman stated that he saw the pilot stand up and state go ahead and jump, you only have 1500 feet, pull it quick. Rainsford was standing next to Norman with his chute on when Norman decided to dive head first through the bomb bay doors. His chute did open and he watched the plane hit the ground in Yocumtown in York County. Norman then ran over to the crash and pulled two burning bodies away from the wreckage. Newspaper articles state that Norman was transported back to the base and the story ends there. Norman Shuey Jr passed away in 2007 at 92 years old. Fortunately I located his son, Norman Shuey III, who agreed to tell his father's story starting with this fateful day. 

The last I saw Ray Magaro, it was 1986 and he was chasing me through the Harrisburg East Cemetery at 3 AM. He was a Penbrook Police Officer then and I was a 14-year-old, out past curfew with my friends.This is his story, patrolling the community of Penbrook, dealing with our juvenile adventures and surviving the job. When he wasn't serving as an EMT and Firefighter, he was dealing with stolen bikes, throwing snowballs at cars, walking through sewer tunnels that exited onto Herr Street, skinny-dipping in Latchmere pool, a serial arsonist and the "Strip Bandit," Ray Magaro dealt with it all.

In this episode I interview Dave Reigle, who in 1984, introduced me to the "Head" subculture of Penbrook PA. We discuss his birthday party that I recorded with my camcorder which unfortunately ended with a fist fight between him and his dad.This is Episode 1, so stay tuned for future episodes where I will be interviewing other individuals from this period that are fortunate enough to still be alive. See my Youtube Channel "Running Into History", to see the video version of this podcast.In 1984, my family and I moved to Penbrook Pennsylvania. I was quickly introduced to the subculture of this Suburban borough, on the outskirts of Harrisburg City. I remember thinking back to the 1979 movie, Over The Edge which accurately depicted the same teenage scene that was prevalent in Penbrook. The effects of the economic recessions of 1980 to 1982, and the record peak divorce rate of the 80s was immediately apparent in the single parent homes and households where both parents had to work to sustain a family. Most Penbrook teenagers had little to no supervision and were left to entertain themselves. But that was OK with us. We had MTV, BMX bikes, skate boards, sex, drugs and rock and roll.

In this episode I discuss Charles Bronson's struggles while growing up in the Pennsylvania mining town - Ehrenfeld.Bronson was the highest paid actor at the height of his career in the 1970s. But he grew up in hard times, while living in the mining town of Ehrenfeld Pennsylvania. He was present during the 1927 Ehrenfeld mine explosion that killed 4 miners and trapped 300, including his father. He would lose his father to cancer when he was 11-yrs-old and then take his place in the mines. Bronson lost his virginity at age 6. His family was so impoverished that he had to wear his sisters dress to school on occasion. Bronson would rob the company store, hop a train to escape and was then shot by a railroad detective.#charlesbronson #pennsylvaniahistory #famousactorsinpennsylvania

Most Harrisburg area residents over the age of 45, remember the Pine Hill Road Creature of 1985 but there was a second creature stalking the area of Swatara Creek in Lebanon County at the same time. The East Pennsboro, Pine Hill Rd Creature was believed to be a hoax after a confession and arrest but some still think there is something more to it. The Lebanon/Dauphin County incidents were "Authenticated" by well-known "Bigfoot Hunter" Wayne King. My research shows that this Swatara creature was originally reported to be living in a cave along the Swatara Creek in 1910 and was hunted by groups attempting to collect a reward for the creature.

In 1919, a gruesome double murder was discovered in the railroad town of Cly, York County Pennsylvania. The resulting investigation would lead to a manhunt through Pennsylvania, Ohio and Kentucky, a Postal Clerk to commit suicide and the death of a Pennsylvania State Trooper. A State Police Investigator would end up under attack by mountain men in Kentucky. #pennsylvaniahistory #yorkcountypa #runningintohistory #truecrime #murder #pennsylvaniastatepolice #crime #1919 #halloween #haunted #railhistory #pennsylvaniarailroad #trains #outlaw #fugitive #serialkiller

In 1837, Jim Brown was murdered on the York and Harrisburg Stagecoach Turnpike near Henry Etter's Tavern. Two years earlier, Brown sold his wife to Dan Johnson for a half gallon of whiskey but he wanted his wife back.#yorkpahistory #goldsboropennsylvania #murder #runningintohistory #pennsylvaniahistory #truecrime