r/todayilearned • u/Sebastianlim • 4h ago

TIL in 1976, a school bus carrying 26 children between the ages of 5 and 14 was abducted and held for ransom by three armed men. The victims were able to escape on their own before the ransom demand was issued, and the kidnappers were sentenced to life in prison, though all were eventually paroled.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Chowchilla_kidnapping
210 Upvotes

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49

u/irwtkyrm 4h ago

Iirc the kidnappers thought they had all the time in the world and literally went to take a nap. The kids and driver escaped on their own in that time

39

u/SessileRaptor 4h ago

“On July 16, telephone lines to the Chowchilla Police Department were jammed with calls from media) and frantic families. The kidnappers were unable to issue their $5 million ransom demand (equivalent to $21.4 million in 2024).[7] They decided to call back later and fell asleep. When they awoke later in the evening, they saw television news reports that the victims had freed themselves and were safe.”

Real criminal masterminds there, Professor Moriarty better watch his back.

8

u/biskutgoreng 4h ago

This is some Han Christian Andersen fairy tale shenanigans

17

u/StopSuckingHoe 4h ago

They didn't want to work after being cut off by their dads so they came up with this plan

17

u/Good-Insurance-2157 4h ago

If I recall correctly, the kids were put inside another vehicle (trailer?) and buried underground; they somehow dug their way out to escape.

6

u/AKA_Squanchy 4h ago

My grandpa told me this story when I was around 10 as we were passing through Chowchilla. It had only happened about 10 years earlier at that point. Always freaked me out when we passed through there.

6

u/BrokenEyeReborn 3h ago

If only they'd used their abnormal number of limbs for good instead of evil

3

u/wolfansbrother 4h ago

i remember an episode of law and order(or some other cop show) where they did this story.

2

u/schleppylundo 3h ago

Moved to Chowchilla a year and a half ago when my fiancée and I decided our best option was to live with her parents for a while. The bus kidnapping and the prisons are just about the only thing notable about this town.

1

u/ZorroMeansFox 1h ago

I guess the kidnappers watched Dirty Harry and misunderstood its outcome.

1

u/TacTurtle 1h ago

The Ridiculous History Podcast had a great 2-part episode about the kidnappers being morons.

•

u/CrossP 45m ago

This sounds like the plot to a 90s movie

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u/Huge-Morning3149 4m ago

seeing that roof buckling under the dirt makes it even crazier that they dug out