Metesky, George (1904–1994)

aka the Mad Bomber

During the 1940s and 1950s, George Metesky, known at the time only as the “Mad Bomber,” set more than 30 bombs in the New York area. The 16-year hunt for the Mad Bomber was solved using one of the first applications of criminal profiling.

Metesky's first bomb was found on November 16, 1940, on a window ledge of the Consolidated Edison building on West 64th Street. The small, crudely made pipe bomb never exploded. A note on the outside of the bomb read, “Con Edison crooks, this is for you!” Police believed that the note's placement suggested it was never intended to detonate.

After a cursory investigation of disgruntled employees and other possible suspects, the police dropped the case. Nearly a year later, in September 1941, another unexploded bomb was found on 19th Street, a few blocks from the ...