Why a Booktrail?
1932: The Charles Lindbergh tragedy
The Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping
Why a Booktrail?
1932: The Charles Lindbergh tragedy
What you need to know before your trail
Charles Lindbergh was up until 1932, known for his position as America’s aviation star and his historic transatlantic flight
Tragically, the other major life event associated with Charles Lindbergh was “the crime of the century.” On March 1, 1932, 20 month old Charles, Jr. was kidnapped right out of his crib from the family’s home in rural East Amwell, New Jersey, and for 10 long weeks, the nation hoped and prayed in chorus with the distraught parents for his safe return. Both Charles and his pregnant wife Anne made frequent, public pleas for their son’s safe return, while ransom negotiations took place between a self-identified kidnapper and Dr. John F. Condon, a volunteer intermediary. On April 2, the Lindbergh family paid a ransom of $50,000 in exchange for information about the child’s whereabouts, but the information was false. The mystery continued until May 12, when a passing trucker found the corpse of a dead toddler by chance in the woods outside of Mount Rose, New Jersey.
Locations
Reset- America/ USA - NJ
- A: Lindbergh House
- B: Lindbergh Rd
- C: Hopewell
- D: New Jersey State prison
Travel Guide
New Jersey
The Lindbergh Case
On March 1, 1932, Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr., the 20-month-old son of aviator Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, was abducted from his home in Highfields, New Jersey, United States.
His body was found not far from the address on May 12 .
Due to the high profile nature of his parents, and the horrific nature of the murder, the press jumped on to it and wrote upteen stories and articles about the kidnap, payment of a ransom and then the murder of the young boy.
In September 1934, Bruno Richard Hauptmann was arrested and, after a trial lasting more than a month, he was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. He always claimed to be innocent of the crime.
The trial of the century led to Congress passing the Federal Kidnapping Act, commonly called the “Lindbergh Law”, which made transporting a kidnapping victim across state lines a federal crime
The Lindbergh house is now a rehabilitation center. The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.
Streetview Maps
B) New Jersey - The Lindbergh House
D) New Jersey - New Jersey State prison
Booktrail Boarding Pass: The Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping
Destination: New Jersey, East Amwell Author/Guide: Charles River Editors Departure Time: 1932
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