New York's Greatest Mystery: Judge Crater's Vanishing

In August 1930, New York Supreme Court Justice Joseph Crater walked into a taxi on a Manhattan street corner and vanished completely. His disappearance was so infamous it created a phrase still used today: "to pull a Crater"—meaning to disappear without a trace. The 41-year-old judge had destroyed documents, withdrawn thousands of dollars, and made cryptic references to "straightening those fellows out" before his final night.Crater's last known hours involved dinner with showgirls, mysterious briefcases, and conflicting witness accounts. When he failed to return to Maine for his wife's birthday and missed the court's reopening, the investigation exploded. Police interviewed 95 witnesses, gathered 975 pages of testimony, and fielded thousands of false sightings. His safe deposit box was empty. Two briefcases had vanished. Women linked to him fled or ended up in mental hospitals.The case touched everything dark about 1930s New York: Tammany Hall corruption, organized crime, Broadway showgirls, and police scandals. Ninety years later, no one knows if Judge Crater was murdered, ran away voluntarily, or met some other fate. His disappearance remains one of America's most enduring mysteries—the man who became a verb for vanishing.Subscribe to Hometown History for forgotten American stories every week. New episodes release Tuesdays. Every hometown has a story—what's yours?Episode SummaryIn August 1930, Judge Joseph Crater became "the missingest man in New York" when he disappeared without a trace from Manhattan. His case was so notorious it created a lasting phrase in American English: "to pull a Crater." This episode explores the mysterious final days of a man who seemingly evaporated from existence, leaving behind empty briefcases, destroyed documents, cryptic phone calls, and a trail leading to showgirls, mobsters, and political corruption.Key TimelineJanuary 5, 1889 - Joseph Forrest Crater born in eastern Pennsylvania1910 - Graduated from Lafayette CollegeApril 1930 - Appointed to New York Supreme Court by Governor Franklin RooseveltSummer 1930 - Vacationing in Belgrade, Maine with wifeAugust 3, 1930 - Returned to NYC after mysterious phone callAugust 6, 1930 - Last seen entering taxi after dinner at Billy Haas's Chop HouseAugust 9, 1930 - Failed to return to Maine for wife's birthdayAugust 25, 1930 - Failed to appear when courts reopenedSeptember 3, 1930 - Missing person case made public, police involvedOctober 1930 - Grand jury convened, 95 witnesses called, 975 pages of testimony1939 - Declared legally dead2005 - New theory emerged claiming burial under Coney Island boardwalkKey FiguresJudge Joseph Forrest Crater - 41-year-old New York Supreme Court Justice who disappearedMrs. Crater - His wife, who remained in Maine during the investigationSally Lou Ritz - Showgirl who dined with Crater on his final nightWilliam Klein - Lawyer friend who was at the final dinnerConnie Marcus - Crater's long-term mistressJune Bryce - Showgirl allegedly involved in blackmail schemeJoseph Mara - Crater's law clerk who cashed checks totaling $5,150 the day he vanishedFranklin Roosevelt - New York Governor who appointed Crater to the Supreme CourtThe Mystery DeepensJudge Crater's disappearance occurred amid several suspicious circumstances:Liquidated $16,