The "Missingest" Man in American History | Disappearance of Judge Joseph Crater

The Vanishing Judge

• 💡 Judge Joseph Crater, a New York Supreme Court Justice, mysteriously vanished in 1930, earning him the title of the "missingest man in New York."
• 📌 His disappearance occurred amidst a backdrop of political corruption, bribery, and organized crime in 1930s New York City.

Background and Connections

• 🧠 Crater was a brilliant lawyer who graduated cum laude from Lafayette and Columbia, quickly making strong political connections.
• 🤝 He was a member of Tammany Hall, a powerful political organization for the Democratic Party, which became notorious for corruption and bribery.
• 💰 Rumors suggested Crater paid Tammany bosses for his judicial appointment, supported by his withdrawal of large sums of money, equivalent to nearly $440,000 today.
• 🎭 Crater was married to Stella Mansheer, his former divorce lawyer, but was also known for his affinity for showgirls and multiple mistresses.

The Last Known Movements

• 📞 On August 3rd, 1930, Crater received a mysterious phone call in Maine, telling his wife he had to return to New York to "set some people straight."
• 💼 Upon returning to NYC, he had his law clerk withdraw $5,000 in cash (worth about $97,000 today) and destroy several documents.
• 🍽️ His last known sighting was on August 6th, 1930, after having dinner with a fellow lawyer and showgirl Sally Lou Ritz, who was rumored to have ties to the criminal underworld.

The Investigation Unfolds

• ⏳ Crater's disappearance was not reported to the police until almost a month later, after his wife, chauffeur, and colleagues conducted their own inquiries.
• 🔍 Police found his apartment's cash missing and his safe deposit box empty, but a grand jury investigation with 975 pages of testimony yielded no answers.
• 📝 Months later, his wife found hidden folders containing checks dated after his disappearance, stocks, bonds, life insurance, and a note from Crater stating, "I am very weary."

Theories of Disappearance

• 🏃‍♂️ One theory suggests Crater fled New York to avoid indictment for corruption, given Tammany Hall's scrutiny, or to start a new life with a mistress.
• 💀 Another theory posits suicide, supported by his "weary" note and actions to get his affairs in order, though his body was never found.
• 🔪 The most popular theory is murder by mobsters or gang members, with his body potentially dumped in the Meadowlands, a known mob dumping ground.
• 🕵️‍♀️ A 2005 revelation from a detective's wife claimed police officer Charles Burns and his brother Frank murdered Crater, burying him under the Coney Island boardwalk where the New York Aquarium now stands.