Latest / The conspiracy / Photos Taken Moments Before Disaster: The Stories Behind the Images

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Photos Taken Moments Before Disaster: The Stories Behind the Images · The conspiracy

0:00
Speaker 1: Crime, conspiracy, cults, serial killers, and murder.
0:04
Speaker 2: All things that I love to consume, and I know
0:06
Speaker 2: you do too, you sick, beautiful-minded, intellectual freak.
0:09
Speaker 1: And you're looking extra dapper today if I do say
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Speaker 1: so myself. I'd like to take a picture of you. Shh.
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Speaker 1: Just a Polaroid. Stunning.
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Speaker 2: Anyway, today we are doing something a little different today.
0:24
Speaker 2: I thought we'd look at three different photos and not
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Speaker 2: just any photos, but three photos that were taken mere
0:32
Speaker 2: seconds or minutes before tragedy struck.
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Speaker 1: Because there's just something really.
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Speaker 2: Chilling about having a photo of like the last moments
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Speaker 2: you see somebody either alive or before they disappeared or
0:43
Speaker 2: something like that. And I think these people's stories are
0:46
Speaker 2: are so interesting, so I'm gonna tell the stories, and
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Speaker 2: then at the end of each story, I'm gonna show
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Speaker 2: you the picture that aligns with it. So without further ado,
0:54
Speaker 2: unbuckle your seat belts, go Mach 5 down the highway,
0:57
Speaker 2: slam on the brakes, and let's bust through this windshield
1:00
Speaker 2: into these mysterious photographs together. Hey guys, it's me, Kris,
1:21
Speaker 2: and I'm super excited to announce that there is a
1:23
Speaker 2: new flavor of Sour Boys. What the hell is that? No,
2:00
Speaker 2: but for real, if you like the Kev's Candy, you're
2:02
Speaker 2: going to love these new Lil' Guys.
2:04
Speaker 1: They are the same flavor, but with an extra punch.
2:08
Speaker 2: And they're Lil' Guys forms, so go grab them while
2:11
Speaker 2: you can at sour.gg. Thanks, guys.
2:14
Speaker 1: Bye.
2:17
Speaker 2: So the first person, or I should say people, that
2:20
Speaker 2: we're going to be talking about today is Chris Kremers
2:23
Speaker 2: and Lisanne Froon. So Kris Kremers, 21, and Lisanne Froon,
2:31
Speaker 2: who was 22, who were two vibrant young women from Amersfoort, Netherlands.
2:36
Speaker 2: Both women had recently completed their studies and Kremers had
2:39
Speaker 2: just finished her degree in cultural social education with a
2:43
Speaker 2: specialization in art education. while Froon had graduated with a
2:47
Speaker 2: degree in applied psychology. And Kremers was described as an outgoing, creative,
2:52
Speaker 2: and very responsible person, while Froon was optimistic, intelligent, and
2:57
Speaker 2: passionate about volleyball. And the two friends had spent months
3:01
Speaker 2: planning a trip to Panama, which would be both a
3:03
Speaker 2: vacation and a service project. They were very excited to
3:07
Speaker 2: explore a new country and experience different cultures and volunteer
3:11
Speaker 2: by teaching local children and learning Spanish. So literally like
3:15
Speaker 2: the best human beings ever. And their trip was meant
3:18
Speaker 2: to serve as a celebration of their recent graduation and
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Speaker 2: as a meaningful way to give back to.
3:22
Speaker 1: Communities that they visited.
3:24
Speaker 2: So Chris and Lisanne arrived in Panama on March 15th, 2014,
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Speaker 2: after months of preparation, like I said. So they spent
3:31
Speaker 2: the first two weeks traveling around the country, visiting various
3:34
Speaker 2: sites and enjoying the local culture. And they would reach
3:37
Speaker 2: the town of Boquete, located in the Cherokee province on
3:41
Speaker 2: March 29th. And here they were to stay with a
3:43
Speaker 2: host family and begin their volunteer work at the local school.
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Speaker 2: And a host family is just people that basically let
3:50
Speaker 2: anybody come in from foreign places that usually that are
3:53
Speaker 2: going to school or volunteering in a different place. So
3:56
Speaker 2: they were staying with this specific family. And their plan
3:58
Speaker 2: was to remain in Boquete for about a month. And
4:01
Speaker 2: before they really got into all their volunteering and everything,
4:03
Speaker 2: they really wanted to go on a hike. So on
4:06
Speaker 2: April 1st, 2014, the two women set out on a
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Speaker 2: hike along the El Pianista Trail around 11 a.m., which
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Speaker 2: was a very popular scenic path that often offers breathtaking
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Speaker 2: views off the nearby Baru volcano. And they were just
4:20
Speaker 2: intending to explore the very scenic forest and get some photos.
4:23
Speaker 2: And prior to their hike, they had actually written a
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Speaker 2: Facebook post mentioning their plans to tour the local village.
4:29
Speaker 2: And they also had brunch with two fellow Dutchmen before
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Speaker 2: as well. And the hike was just intended to be
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Speaker 2: a casual day trip to sightsee. But as hours passed
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Speaker 2: and the women did not return, concerns would begin to mount.
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Speaker 2: So on the evening of April 1st, the same day
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Speaker 2: that they went on the hike, the host's family's dog,
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Speaker 2: which had accompanied Chris and Lisanne on their hike, would
4:49
Speaker 2: return home without Chris and Lisanne. And this was the
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Speaker 2: first sign that something had gone terribly, terribly wrong. So
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Speaker 2: the host family naturally began searching the surrounding area, but
4:59
Speaker 2: were unable to find any trace of the women. And
5:02
Speaker 2: by April 2nd, after the pair missed an appointment with
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Speaker 2: the local tour guide, authorities were notified and a full-scale
5:08
Speaker 2: search was launched. And the search efforts initially involved the
5:11
Speaker 2: local authorities, police, and volunteers scoring the jungle. But as
5:15
Speaker 2: days would pass and no signs of the missing women
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Speaker 2: were seen, the search was expanded. And on April 6th,
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Speaker 2: the families of Chris and Lisanne arrived from the Netherlands,
5:25
Speaker 2: accompanied by Dutch detectives and search and rescue teams. So
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Speaker 2: they literally had everybody that could have been looking for
5:30
Speaker 2: them was looking for them. But despite the extensive efforts,
5:35
Speaker 2: no evidence was found to indicate where the women had
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Speaker 2: gone or what happened to them. And for over two months,
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Speaker 2: the search would yield no significant leads. So it wouldn't
5:45
Speaker 2: be until June 14th, 2014, that a breakthrough occurred when
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Speaker 2: a local woman would find a blue backpack along the banks.
5:53
Speaker 2: along the banks of a river near the village of
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Speaker 2: Alto Romero, several kilometers from the Pianista Trail. And inside
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Speaker 2: the backpacks was the woman's personal belongings, including Lisanne's camera,
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Speaker 2: their cell phones, two pairs of sunglasses, a water bottle,
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Speaker 2: Lisanne's passport, two bras, and $ 83 in cash. And the
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Speaker 2: discovery of the backpack was both a relief and a
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Speaker 2: new source of dread, as it just raised more questions
6:22
Speaker 2: than answers at this point. But the contents of the
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Speaker 2: backpack provided investigators with crucial insights into what might have
6:28
Speaker 2: happened during the days after the women had disappeared. Their phones,
6:32
Speaker 2: both Lisanne's Samsung Galaxy and Chris's iPhone 4, revealed that
6:37
Speaker 2: they had tried calling emergency numbers multiple times in the
6:41
Speaker 2: days following their hike. And the first call was made
6:44
Speaker 2: only hours after they first embarked on their hike on
6:47
Speaker 2: the afternoon of April 1st.
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Speaker 1: But unfortunately, none of the.
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Speaker 2: 77 emergency calls made from the phones went through, which
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Speaker 2: That's horrifying. In what situation are you caught like, I
7:04
Speaker 2: don't know, it's just a nightmare. We'll get into it more,
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Speaker 2: but 77 missed calls, and it was likely due to
7:08
Speaker 2: the poor reception in the remote jungle. Only one call
7:11
Speaker 2: would be very briefly connected, but was cut off after
7:14
Speaker 2: only two seconds. And the call logs also revealed that
7:17
Speaker 2: Lisanne's phone had been switched off on April 4th, after
7:22
Speaker 2: its battery died, while Chris's phone continued to be used
7:25
Speaker 2: sporadically for about several days. And by April 6th, someone
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Speaker 2: unsuccessfully tried to unlock Chris's phone multiple times.
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Speaker 1: Ooh, I don't like that at all.
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Speaker 2: Indicating that either Chris herself or someone else was trying
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Speaker 2: to access the device, which why would Chris not be
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Speaker 2: able to unlock her own phone?
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Speaker 1: I don't buy it. So I'm just like, it had
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Speaker 1: to be someone.
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Speaker 2: However, it was the photos recovered from Lisanne's camera that
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Speaker 2: offered the most eerie and unsettling clues. The first set
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Speaker 2: of photos taken on the day of the hike showed
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Speaker 2: the women enjoying scenic views along the trail. And there
8:05
Speaker 2: was nothing really out of the ordinary with these images. However,
8:08
Speaker 2: a second set of photos taken on the night of
8:12
Speaker 2: April 8th between 1 a.m.
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Speaker 1: And 4 a.m. were far more disturbing.
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Speaker 2: These nighttime photos included images of Chris's belongings, random rocks
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Speaker 2: and sticks with plastic bags tied around them, and most alarmingly,
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Speaker 2: the back of Chris's head with what appeared to be
8:30
Speaker 2: blood on her temple. And the purpose of these photos
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Speaker 2: and their context remain unknown, leading to a multitude of theories.
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Speaker 2: I'm looking at the photos again and they're just, it's,
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Speaker 2: they're so interesting. eerie and creepy. Like, it's nightmare fuel.
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Speaker 2: It's absolute nightmare fuel. So in June and August of 2014,
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Speaker 2: human remains would be discovered in the same general area
8:54
Speaker 2: where the backpack had been found. First, Chris's jeans were
8:57
Speaker 2: found folded near a rock near the river, then a
9:00
Speaker 2: boot containing a foot, and a pelvic bone were also discovered.
9:06
Speaker 2: And DNA testing would later confirm that the bones belonged
9:09
Speaker 2: to Lisanne and Chris. And the state of the remains
9:13
Speaker 2: raised further questions. Lisanne's bones specifically showed signs of natural decomposition,
9:19
Speaker 2: while Chris's bones appear to have been bleached, which like,
9:24
Speaker 2: who is, who?
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Speaker 1: It had to be somebody.
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Speaker 2: Like if you find a foot, like it could be
9:32
Speaker 2: a bear or it could be like a prey, an
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Speaker 2: animal or something. But if the bone's bleached, how's that
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Speaker 2: happening out there? Several theories had emerged over the years
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Speaker 2: to what might explain what happened to Chris and Lisanne.
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Speaker 2: And these theories can be broadly divided into two categories,
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Speaker 2: either accidental or foul play. So the most commonly accepted
9:54
Speaker 2: theory is that Chris and Lisanne became lost in the
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Speaker 2: dense jungle after straying from the El Pianista Trail. And
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Speaker 2: as night fell, the situation would grow dire and they
10:03
Speaker 2: may have attempted to find their way back, resulting in
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Speaker 2: one or both of them suffering fatal injuries. And the
10:08
Speaker 2: photos of Chris with blood on her head suggest that
10:11
Speaker 2: she may have suffered a fall or another accident where
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Speaker 2: she hit her head. And the nighttime photos could have
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Speaker 2: been taken in a desperate attempt to signal for help
10:19
Speaker 2: or document the situation, which like, I'd be the last
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Speaker 2: thing I'd be doing is taking photos of shit that happened,
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Speaker 2: I guess, I don't know. And then we have foul play,
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Speaker 2: which of course I'm more leaning towards because I'm just,
10:36
Speaker 2: that's the way I go. So there are many that
10:38
Speaker 2: believe Chris and Lisanne were victims to foul play. The
10:41
Speaker 2: fact that their bones were scattered and were in varying
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Speaker 2: states of decomposition, with some of Chris's bones appearing to
10:47
Speaker 2: be bleached, has led to some speculation that someone tampered
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Speaker 2: with their remains. Additionally, some of the observers have pointed
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Speaker 2: to the nighttime photos as evidence that the women were
10:56
Speaker 2: in a state of distress and trying to document their
10:59
Speaker 2: threatening situation, which is like, I.
11:01
Speaker 1: Feel more plausible.
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Speaker 2: So one of the theories is that the women encountered
11:05
Speaker 2: some dangerous individuals in the jungle, possibly members of a
11:08
Speaker 2: local gang or even corrupt guides and were inevitably killed.
11:13
Speaker 2: And this theory is supported by the fact that other
11:15
Speaker 2: murders and disappearances have occurred in the Boquete region. Although
11:19
Speaker 2: there hasn't been any really solid evidence to tie these
11:22
Speaker 2: cases of Chris and Lisanne to foul play.
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Speaker 1: It's really just a theory.
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Speaker 2: And another possible theory is that the women were held
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Speaker 2: for ransom, for nefarious purposes, but managed to escape in
11:32
Speaker 2: the jungle only to succumb to the elements. And some
11:35
Speaker 2: even speculate that there was a possible cover-up, either by
11:38
Speaker 2: the local authorities or other parties, to conceal the true
11:41
Speaker 2: circumstances of their deaths. Because critics point to alleged investigation
11:45
Speaker 2: errors and inconsistencies in the official reports. And the book,
11:49
Speaker 2: Still Lost in Panama, explores these aspects, presenting new evidence
11:53
Speaker 2: and witness accounts. But the case of Chris and Lisanne
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Speaker 2: are still a mystery with many questions left unanswered. And
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Speaker 2: I don't know if we're ever gonna figure it out,
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Speaker 2: but those photos are just haunting. I mean, I don't
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Speaker 2: know what to make of them. I mean, I hope
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Speaker 2: they didn't suffer too much and my thoughts are with
12:12
Speaker 2: family and friends. Hopefully we figure it out one day
12:14
Speaker 2: what actually happened to them. But that brings us to
12:17
Speaker 2: our second story, which is about Brian Wells. So Brian
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Speaker 2: Wells was a 46-year-old pizza delivery driver who had worked
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Speaker 2: at Mamma Mia's Pizzeria in Erie, Pennsylvania.
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Speaker 1: Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania. For over a decade. Guy is a vet.
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Speaker 2: Described as quiet, introverted, and somewhat childlike, Wells lived a
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Speaker 2: very simple life. He was close to his mother, had
12:44
Speaker 2: a modest lifestyle, and was known to struggle financially. Wells
12:48
Speaker 2: had no significant criminal record and was generally considered a
12:51
Speaker 2: harmless and easygoing individual by those who knew him. So
12:55
Speaker 2: on August 28th, 2003, at 1.30 p.m., a call was
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Speaker 2: made to Mamma Mia's Pizzeria.
13:01
Speaker 1: Sorry, I gotta do that.
13:03
Speaker 2: From a payphone at a nearby Shell gas station. The
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Speaker 2: caller ordered pizza. two pizzas to be delivered to an
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Speaker 2: address at 8631 Peach Street, a remote location near the
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Speaker 2: WSEE TV transmission tower. And this would be the start
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Speaker 2: of an intricate and ultimately fatal plot. And Brian Wells,
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Speaker 2: who had been delivering pizzas for about 10 years now,
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Speaker 2: took the order and set out to deliver these pizzas,
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Speaker 2: just like any other day. And when he arrived at
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Speaker 2: the transmission tower, he encountered the conspirators, including, and I
13:34
Speaker 2: will say your names wrong, Majority Deal Armstrong, Kenneth Barnes,
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Speaker 2: William Rothstein, and Floyd Stockton.
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Speaker 1: I feel like I probably said most of those right.
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Speaker 2: And while the exact details of what happened at the
13:45
Speaker 2: tower remain unclear, what is known is that Wells was
13:49
Speaker 2: confronted by the group and forcibly fitted with an explosive
13:53
Speaker 2: collar around his neck. And according to law enforcement and
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Speaker 2: later testimony, Florida Stockton, a convicted grapist and fugitive living
14:03
Speaker 2: with Rothstein, was the one who physically strapped the bomb
14:07
Speaker 2: collar onto Wells. And once Wells realized that the bomb
14:11
Speaker 2: was real, he reportedly started panicking, as you would. And
14:14
Speaker 2: to ensure compliance, Kenneth Barnes fired a gunshot as a warning,
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Speaker 2: terrifying Wells and convincing him that this is his only
14:22
Speaker 2: option to follow the group's orders. And the device that
14:25
Speaker 2: they attached to Wells was a very sophisticated bomb that
14:28
Speaker 2: consisted of a collar with four locks and a combination
14:32
Speaker 2: dial and.
14:33
Speaker 1: multiple.
14:34
Speaker 2: Decoy elements such as unconnected wires and a toy cell phone.
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Speaker 2: So this thing was like insane looking, like something you'd
14:42
Speaker 2: see in the movies. It was nearly impossible to remove
14:45
Speaker 2: without the correct key and codes, which were part of
14:48
Speaker 2: a scavenger hunt outlined in detailed instructions Wells was given.
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Speaker 1: This is giving, like it's a movie. It's a nightmare movie.
14:56
Speaker 2: So the conspirators handed Wells nine pages of detailed handwritten
15:01
Speaker 2: instructions titled, Bomb hostage. What? And these instructions laid out
15:08
Speaker 2: a scavenger hunt, directing Wells to complete a series of
15:11
Speaker 2: tasks within strict time limits. And the goal, according to
15:15
Speaker 2: the instructions, was to find the keys and codes necessary
15:19
Speaker 2: to disarm the bomb.
15:20
Speaker 1: These people are.
15:21
Speaker 2: The scavenger hunt was a critical part of the plan,
15:24
Speaker 2: designed to delay Wells long enough for the group to
15:27
Speaker 2: escape with the money while ensuring that he would never
15:29
Speaker 2: live to tell the full story. So the instructions were
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Speaker 2: chilling and very specific, warning Wells that he was under
15:36
Speaker 2: constant surveillance and that any attempt to contact law enforcement
15:40
Speaker 2: or deviate from the plan would result in the bomb detonating.
15:44
Speaker 2: And the final page read, quote unquote, act now, think later,
15:47
Speaker 2: or you will die. What? It was later determined that
15:50
Speaker 2: the scavenger hunt was impossible to complete in the time
15:54
Speaker 2: Wells had. So he was basically set up for failure,
15:57
Speaker 2: meaning the bomb was set to kill him regardless of
15:59
Speaker 2: what he did. But following the instructions, Wells drove directly
16:03
Speaker 2: from the radio tower to the PNC bank on Peach Street,
16:07
Speaker 2: arriving at around 2.30 PM. And the surveillance footage from
16:10
Speaker 2: the bank shows Wells entering very calmly, despite the bomb
16:14
Speaker 2: being strapped to his neck. And he approached the teller
16:16
Speaker 2: and handed the note demanding $ 250, 000. And the note made
16:20
Speaker 2: it clear that Wells only had 15 minutes to obtain
16:23
Speaker 2: the money before the bomb would detonate. And the teller,
16:25
Speaker 2: unable to access the vault in such a short amount
16:28
Speaker 2: of time, gave Wells $ 8, 702 from the cash drawer. And
16:33
Speaker 2: the surveillance footage would capture Wells as he swung the
16:36
Speaker 2: cane-shaped shotgun, a crude homemade weapon he had been given
16:39
Speaker 2: by the conspirators, in one hand while carrying the bag
16:42
Speaker 2: of money in the other. And according to the witnesses,
16:45
Speaker 2: Wells appeared unnervingly calm, even sucking on a lollipop as
16:49
Speaker 2: he exited the bank. And one observer noted that he
16:52
Speaker 2: walked with the same deliberate swagger as Charlie Chaplin, which
16:56
Speaker 2: added an eerie element to the already surreal case. I
16:59
Speaker 2: just imagine him, like, just swinging his shotgun cane, just like, la-di-da,
17:04
Speaker 2: with a f * * * ing palm collar around
17:06
Speaker 2: his neck, like, what a strange sight to see. At
17:08
Speaker 2: around 2.40 p.m., less than 15 minutes after he had
17:12
Speaker 2: left the bank, Wells was stopped by Pennsylvania State Police
17:15
Speaker 2: near an eyeglass world parking lot. And officers would quickly
17:18
Speaker 2: handcuff Wells and place him on the ground, near his car.
17:21
Speaker 2: And it was at this point that Wells began pleading
17:23
Speaker 2: with the officers, frantically explaining that he had been forced
17:26
Speaker 2: to rob the bank, and that there was a bomb
17:28
Speaker 2: strapped to his neck, and it was all real. And
17:30
Speaker 2: he begged them to help him, telling the officers that
17:33
Speaker 2: he had little time left before the bomb would detonate. Again,
17:36
Speaker 2: it's like a Criminal Minds episode. And during this time,
17:38
Speaker 2: the officers didn't know if the bomb was real or
17:41
Speaker 2: if it was just a hoax. So they would keep
17:42
Speaker 2: their distance from Wells while clearing the bystanders in the
17:46
Speaker 2: immediate area. But no attempt was made to disarm the bomb.
17:49
Speaker 2: And the eerie bomb squad was called at 3.04 p.m.,
17:52
Speaker 2: but traffic congestion in the area delayed their arrival. Meanwhile,
17:56
Speaker 2: Wells just sat on the ground near his car, surrounded
17:59
Speaker 2: by the police, repeating his pleas as the bomb began
18:01
Speaker 2: to beep louder and faster.
18:03
Speaker 1: Oh, scary. Dude, it's... Scary.
18:08
Speaker 2: But at 3.18 PM, just three minutes before the bomb
18:11
Speaker 2: squad arrived, the device exploded. And the blast tore a
18:15
Speaker 2: fist-size hole in Well's chest, killing him instantly. And the
18:19
Speaker 2: explosion was captured by news cameras as local TV stations
18:23
Speaker 2: had arrived to cover the standoff. And the horrifying footage
18:26
Speaker 2: was broadcasted live during the case in a national spectacle.
18:31
Speaker 2: And following the explosion, investigators quickly covered all the scene.
18:34
Speaker 2: They were able to recover the collar still attached to
18:36
Speaker 2: Well's neck, as well as the shattered remnants of the bomb.
18:39
Speaker 2: And the complexity of the device suggests that it had
18:42
Speaker 2: been constructed by someone with advanced mechanical skills, which would
18:46
Speaker 2: later point the investigators toward William Rothstein as a possible
18:50
Speaker 2: creator of the bomb. And because the collar was still intact,
18:53
Speaker 2: Authorities had to sever Well's.
18:55
Speaker 1: Head from his body to preserve the device.
18:58
Speaker 2: For further analysis. And inside Wells' car, investigators found the
19:02
Speaker 2: nine pages of instructions that had been given to Wells.
19:06
Speaker 2: And as they would read the instructions, they would see
19:08
Speaker 2: that easily he had not been meant to complete this
19:12
Speaker 2: scavenger hunt. He was always meant to die in the situation.
19:16
Speaker 2: And in the immediate aftermath after Wells' death, the investigation
19:20
Speaker 2: into the pizza bomber case took a dramatic turn. Police
19:23
Speaker 2: focused their attention on the individuals linked to Wells and
19:26
Speaker 2: began unraveling the complex conspiracy behind the crime. The discovery
19:31
Speaker 2: of Wells' body with the collar bomb still intact combined
19:34
Speaker 2: with the chilling nature of the written instructions left investigators
19:38
Speaker 2: questioning whether Wells had been an unwilling victim or a
19:42
Speaker 2: willing participant. Initial reports indicated that Wells may had actually
19:46
Speaker 2: been involved in the planning of the robbery but changed
19:50
Speaker 2: his mind and panicked once he realized the bomb was real.
19:53
Speaker 2: Kenneth Barnes, who later testified against Deal Armstrong, claimed that
19:57
Speaker 2: Wells had agreed to participate, believing that the bomb was fake,
20:01
Speaker 2: but attempted to back out after he discovered the bomb
20:03
Speaker 2: was live. However, Wells' family and everyone that knew him
20:06
Speaker 2: maintained that he was coerced into participating. They argued that
20:10
Speaker 2: Wells had no prior knowledge of the plot and was
20:13
Speaker 2: forced to wear the bomb under direct threat. And in
20:15
Speaker 2: the 2018 Netflix documentary, Evil Genius, Wells' acquaintance, a... Lady
20:20
Speaker 2: of the Night, Jessica Hoopsick confessed to setting up Wells
20:23
Speaker 2: by providing his name and delivery schedules to conspirators in
20:27
Speaker 2: exchange for money and drooges. And according to Hoopsick, Wells
20:31
Speaker 2: had no idea he was being lured into a deadly scheme.
20:34
Speaker 2: But the Pizza Brommer case remains the most bizarre and
20:38
Speaker 2: complex criminal case in FBI history. Whether he was a
20:41
Speaker 2: victim or complicit in this plot, the case continues to
20:44
Speaker 2: capture the public's imagination due to its intricate planning, gruesome outcome,
20:49
Speaker 2: and the human.
20:50
Speaker 1: Tragedy at the center of it.
20:52
Speaker 2: But despite the arrests and convictions, the mystery of the
20:54
Speaker 2: pizza bomber still lingers, leaving many to wonder what really
20:58
Speaker 2: happened in those final moments of Brian Wells' life.
21:01
Speaker 1: So that is Brian Wells. I mean, I don't know.
21:04
Speaker 2: I don't know. I mean, given his description of like
21:07
Speaker 2: who he was and like how smart he was and everything.
21:10
Speaker 2: I mean, I could see him agreeing to it. And
21:11
Speaker 2: then after he figures out that it's real, like not,
21:13
Speaker 2: I don't know. Either way, I do believe he was
21:16
Speaker 2: a victim. Like whether he was compliant or not, like
21:19
Speaker 2: they clearly aimed to kill him no matter what, so.
21:22
Speaker 1: Just horrifying, terrible.
21:24
Speaker 2: And that picture like literally a minute before he died
21:27
Speaker 2: is just so haunting, I mean. But yes, that is
21:30
Speaker 2: the story of Brian Wells, the pizza bomber. And last
21:34
Speaker 2: but not least, we're going to talk about the story
21:36
Speaker 2: of Robert Overacker. So Robert Craig Overacker was born May 11th,
21:45
Speaker 2: 1967 in Camarillo or Camarillo, sorry if I'm saying that wrong, California.
21:50
Speaker 2: Growing up in a middle-class family, he was the youngest
21:52
Speaker 2: of three siblings. His parents, Thomas and Linda Overacker, provided
21:56
Speaker 2: a supportive environment that fostered creativity and a sense of
21:59
Speaker 2: adventure in Robert. And Robert, often called Rob by friends
22:02
Speaker 2: and family, exhibited a fascination of action and adventure from
22:06
Speaker 2: a very young age. He played a lot of sports
22:08
Speaker 2: throughout high school, such as football and track. And Rob
22:11
Speaker 2: was just known for his energetic personality and willingness to
22:15
Speaker 2: take on challenges. And after graduating high school in 1985,
22:18
Speaker 2: he briefly attended community college, but soon decided to pursue
22:21
Speaker 2: his passion for adventure full-time. And Robert's interest in extreme
22:25
Speaker 2: sports was very evident when he was a teenager. He
22:28
Speaker 2: was particularly drawn to activities like motocross, skateboarding, and surfing,
22:32
Speaker 2: which were very popular in California during the 1980s. And
22:35
Speaker 2: his willingness to push boundaries and test the limits became
22:38
Speaker 2: a defining characteristic of his personality.
22:41
Speaker 1: He was just.
22:41
Speaker 2: Known as the guy that like took risks. And in
22:44
Speaker 2: his early 20s, Overracker began exploring stunt performances more seriously.
22:49
Speaker 2: He moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, a city known for
22:51
Speaker 2: entertainment and thrill-seeking opportunities and some other things. And there
22:55
Speaker 2: he would train with experienced stunt professionals and learn various skills,
22:59
Speaker 2: including precision driving, pyrotechnics, and safety protocols. And Rob would
23:03
Speaker 2: participate in like small stunt shows, exhibitions, gradually building his
23:07
Speaker 2: reputation for more daring performances. And he was particularly interested
23:12
Speaker 2: in stunts involving vehicles, such as car jumps and motorcycle tricks.
23:15
Speaker 2: And he really started to become a well-respected stuntman in
23:18
Speaker 2: the stunt community for his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport.
23:22
Speaker 2: He even worked behind the scenes as a stunt coordinator
23:24
Speaker 2: for film projects, utilizing his knowledge to enhance safety while
23:28
Speaker 2: executing complex stunts. And by 1995, Rob sought to make
23:32
Speaker 2: a significant impact in the stunt performing world. He believed
23:36
Speaker 2: that successfully completing a highly publicized and dangerous stunt could
23:40
Speaker 2: really elevate his career. So the idea of going over
23:43
Speaker 2: Niagara Falls A feat attempted by few and successfully completed
23:48
Speaker 2: by even fewer captivated him. Additionally, Rob was motivated by
23:51
Speaker 2: desire to raise awareness about homelessness. Reports suggested that he
23:55
Speaker 2: intended to use the stunt to draw attention to the issue,
23:58
Speaker 2: although specific plans for the fundraising and advocacy were not
24:01
Speaker 2: fully developed yet. But he had really good intentions behind
24:04
Speaker 2: the stunt. And Overacker would meticulously plan this stunt over
24:08
Speaker 2: months because again, he was a professional.
24:10
Speaker 1: He knew what he was doing.
24:11
Speaker 2: He designed a custom jet ski equipped with rocket propulsion
24:15
Speaker 2: system intended to propel him over the falls. He also
24:18
Speaker 2: carried a parachute that was going to deploy when he
24:20
Speaker 2: went airborne, allowing him to descend safely into the river below.
24:24
Speaker 2: And Rob would conduct test runs on smaller waterfalls and
24:28
Speaker 2: practice deploying the parachute as well under various conditions. And
24:32
Speaker 2: despite inherent dangers, he was confident in his equipment and
24:35
Speaker 2: his abilities. So Niagara Falls is located on the border
24:39
Speaker 2: of United States and Canada, shout out to Canada. And
24:42
Speaker 2: it is renowned for its powerful and breathtaking waterfalls. The
24:45
Speaker 2: Horseshoe Falls where Rob attempted his stunt has a height
24:48
Speaker 2: of approximately 167 feet, otherwise, 51 meters and a flow
24:54
Speaker 2: rate of 600,000 gallons per second. And the area is
24:58
Speaker 2: a very popular tourist destination, but is also known for
25:02
Speaker 2: its hazardous conditions, including strong currents and turbulent waters. So
25:06
Speaker 2: on October 1st, 1995, Rob would arrive at Niagara Falls
25:11
Speaker 2: with his jet ski and his equipment. And without obtaining
25:13
Speaker 2: official permission, he launched his jet ski into Niagara Falls,
25:18
Speaker 2: above the falls. And observers noted that he appeared focused
25:21
Speaker 2: and determined as he navigated toward the brink. So Rob
25:25
Speaker 2: was locked in, people had their cameras out, everybody was
25:29
Speaker 2: so excited to see what this guy was doing, and
25:31
Speaker 2: everybody was also terrified because they didn't know exactly what
25:35
Speaker 2: was happening. It wasn't something he told everyone that he
25:38
Speaker 2: was gonna do. So people were just standing there in anticipation,
25:41
Speaker 2: waiting for what was gonna happen. And as Rob approached
25:44
Speaker 2: the edge of the waterfall, He would rev the jet
25:46
Speaker 2: ski expecting that the rocket propulsion that he put in
25:49
Speaker 2: and tested so many times was going to work, but
25:52
Speaker 2: it failed and the system didn't activate properly. And Rob
25:55
Speaker 2: would go over the falls and witnesses would see him
25:58
Speaker 2: attempt to deploy his parachute, but his parachute also failed.
26:03
Speaker 2: And Rob would continue to fall and fall and fall
26:07
Speaker 2: until he would hit the river below and unfortunately not
26:11
Speaker 2: survive the fall. And this is the photo moments before
26:15
Speaker 2: Rob's death. And investigators later indicated that the parachute either
26:19
Speaker 2: malfunctioned or was deployed too late to be effective. And
26:22
Speaker 2: as a result, he plummeted into the waters below without
26:25
Speaker 2: adequate deceleration. And the impact with the water was very severe.
26:29
Speaker 2: Rescue teams stationed nearby, anticipating potential emergencies, quickly moved to
26:34
Speaker 2: retrieve him. And Rob was found floating unconscious and was
26:37
Speaker 2: pulled out of the river by the Maid of the
26:39
Speaker 2: Mist tour boat, crew. And emergency medical technicians on the
26:42
Speaker 2: tour boat initiated CPR immediately. And upon reaching the shore,
26:45
Speaker 2: Rob was transferred to the ambulance and taken to Niagara
26:48
Speaker 2: Falls Memorial Medical Center. But unfortunately, he would be pronounced
26:51
Speaker 2: dead shortly after arriving. And the official cause of death
26:54
Speaker 2: was blunt force trauma resulting from the fall. And Rob's
26:57
Speaker 2: death received widespread media attention, both locally and internationally. The
27:01
Speaker 2: incident sparked debates about the ethics and legalities of the
27:04
Speaker 2: extreme stunts, particularly those conducted without authorization, because technically it
27:09
Speaker 2: wasn't authorized. And public opinion was very divided, with some
27:12
Speaker 2: viewing him as a thrill seeker who took unnecessary risks,
27:15
Speaker 2: while others saw him as just a passionate individual pushing
27:18
Speaker 2: the boundaries of a human endeavor. But in response to
27:21
Speaker 2: the incident, Authorities at Niagara Falls increased security measures to
27:25
Speaker 2: prevent unauthorized stunts, and fines and legal penalties for such
27:29
Speaker 2: activities were reinforced, and surveillance was heightened to deter potential copycats.
27:33
Speaker 2: And Rob's family and friends held a private memorial service
27:36
Speaker 2: to honor his life, and fellow stunt performers and members
27:39
Speaker 2: of the extreme sports community paid tribute to his adventurous
27:42
Speaker 2: spirit and dedication to his craft. While not widely commemorated,
27:46
Speaker 2: his story serves as a cautionary tale about the perils
27:49
Speaker 2: of extreme stunts and the critical importance of safety measures.
27:53
Speaker 1: Okay, I hope you enjoyed today's video.
27:57
Speaker 2: Very interesting stories like, straight out of the movies, horror movies,
28:02
Speaker 2: that is very haunting photos. I don't know, life is precious.
28:06
Speaker 2: That's kind of what I wanted to make this video,
28:08
Speaker 2: is just to kind of let you know that you
28:09
Speaker 2: gotta live every day like it's your last, but not
28:12
Speaker 2: so much as to, you know, do crazy stunts or
28:14
Speaker 2: anything like that. We want you here for a very
28:16
Speaker 2: long time, but also just choose one thing today to
28:20
Speaker 2: be grateful for and enjoy it, you know? Go eat
28:22
Speaker 2: a piece of cake or something, eat a cookie, feel alive.
28:25
Speaker 2: And feel grateful because I'm grateful for you. But if
28:28
Speaker 2: you liked the video, please like the video. It really
28:30
Speaker 2: helps the channel. Also subscribe if you want to subscribe.
28:32
Speaker 2: This is obviously the best YouTube channel ever. And I
28:34
Speaker 2: will see your beautiful face in the next video. All right. Bye.