Claude Mock, lot manager, said the rock pelting began after Anthony Angelo began to work at the lot as a handyman on September 9th. The rocks fell that day and for the next two until police arrested Angelo as a suspect for mischief.
The headline attracted the attention of Raymond Bayless and Attila von Szalay, two highly respected parapsychologists who had often worked together in doing research, decided to investigate this case as possible poltergeist activity.
Bayless interviewed Mock who told him over 200 stones, pieces of metal, nuts and bolts had pelted the car lot in the two day incident. The rocks hit the office, garage, and people. He saw rocks hit investigating police officers and workers. They did not seem to fall from the sky, but flew in abnormal and unpredictable ways, in all directions except and usually moved horizontally.
Thirty officers, during the bombardment, had been called in to search the neighborhood to find the culprit. They found none. The police connected forty-year old Angelo with the disturbance and took him into custody after one officer said he saw him throw a rock at the car. The incidents stopped once Angelo was removed from the lot.
Mock knew little about Angelo, but said he seemed to be disturbed about something.
Bayless also interviewed the police captain in charge of the investigation.
The captain told Bayless that Angelo could not have caused the bombardment because he was under thigh surveillance during the rock throwing incidents. While the captain was watching Angelo using fieldglasses, he saw Angelo throw a rock at a car. Angelo denied throwing the rock. The officer admitted that although Angelo had been arrested, the case was not solved.
Von Szalay interviewed Angelo's immigrant mother. Her command of the English language was poor, but the investigator did get some significant information. Angelo had worked at other lots. He resented washing cars and doing other work and not getting paid what he felt he should have been.
Angelo and the poltergeist went to court in one of the most unusual cases in history.
Judge Sidney Kaufman presided at the trial. The date was November 22, 1960. The charge was obstructing a police investigation, not criminal mischief. The court records have not been published.
Mock was the first to testify and told the court what he had told Bayless. He said he had not seen Angelo throw a rock at any of the cars.
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Jill Stefko 's Paranormal Behaviour topic, please visit the Discussions page.