The New York Mystery Machine

On a quiet stretch of Market Street in Palmyra, New York, two historic museums have become known for something beyond the artifacts they preserve. From the remarkably untouched Phelps General Store and its Spiritualist resident, Sibyl Phelps, to a nearby museum built on the site of a devastating 1964 fire, visitors have reported apparitions, phantom footsteps, mysterious children... and even a gho...

Starr Faithfull's short life was marked by pain and deep sadness. When she is found dead on a Long Island beach, it was easy for many to assume she had killed herself. But is that what happened? Or could her death have been part of a larger conspiracy to keep her quiet? Learn about her tragic tale on this week's episode. Be sure to Subscribe, Rate, & Review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,...

In 1846, William Freeman walked into a farmhouse outside Auburn, New York, and brutally murdered four members of the Van Nest family, people he seemingly had no reason to kill. But as Freeman faced the death penalty, his attorney, former New York Governor William H. Seward, argued that the young man’s years of brutal treatment inside Auburn State Prison had left him profoundly mentally impaired. W...

We're talking about Summer vs Fall sartorial choices and the absolute fashion crimes that sometimes occur when you dress out of season. If you thought white after Labor Day was a faux pas, wait till you hear about the explosive riots wearing a straw hat after September 15th can bring. Happy Felt Hat Day to all who celebrate! Be sure to Subscribe, Rate, & Review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,...

At the edge of Greenwich Village stands the Jane Hotel, a 1908 sailors’ home that has sheltered thousands of seamen, housed survivors of the Titanic, endured decades as a rough SRO, and reinvented itself again and again. But some say not everyone who passed through its tiny rooms and narrow corridors ever truly left. Be sure to Subscribe, Rate, & Review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Audible!...

In the 1990s, reports of a creature along Bray Road in Elkhorn, Wisconsin sent the region into a tizzy. Wolf-like but with human qualities, the creature soon became labeled a werewolf. What exactly did people see? On this episode, hear about this unusual creature, explore some philosophical questions about werewolfism, and ask yourself: is a bear a cat? Be sure to Subscribe, Rate, & Review on...

In August 1986, 18-year-old Jennifer Levin was found strangled in Central Park behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Within hours, police were questioning the last person seen leaving a bar with her: 19-year-old Robert Chambers, a handsome private-school dropout who would soon become infamous as the “Preppy Killer.” This is the story of Jennifer Levin, Robert Chambers, and one of the most notorio...

In 1780, the Revolutionary War was raging. Hannah Caldwell was hiding with her children in the upper floors of a house when a shot rang out from below and killed her. Was it the British targeting the family of a fervent Patriot? Was it an accident - perhaps even friendly fire? And could this victim, whose death galvanized the locals to turn the British back at the Battle of Springfield, still be h...

On May 10, 1849, thousands of New Yorkers descended on Astor Place. By the end of the night, more than twenty people were dead and somehow, it all started with Shakespeare. This week we uncover the Astor Place Riot, where a bitter rivalry between American actor Edwin Forrest and Britain’s William Charles Macready collided with class warfare, nationalism, and a city ready to explode. Be sure to Sub...

Before he was Rudolph Valentino, he was a witness to the breakdown of the marriage of Blanca and Jack de Saulle. Their acrimonious divorce, child custody arrangements, and Jack's continued dismissal of Blanca's emotional needs eventually would be his demise. Tune in this week to learn about the dramatic murder of Jack de Saulle, guest starring Rudolph Valentino. Be sure to Subscribe, Rate,...

The Central Park Jogger Case changed New York forever. In April 1989, a brutal assault in Central Park shocked a city already gripped by fear. Within days, five teenagers were arrested. Their videotaped confessions seemed to solve one of the most infamous crimes in American history. But did it? This is the complete story of the Central Park Jogger case and the five young men history came to know a...

We are wrapping up Season 5 with a BIG case update, your hot takes and theories, a fun game of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, AND, the Second Annual Tammany Awards! A big season deserves a big finale! Be sure to Subscribe, Rate, & Review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Audible! Support the show by becoming a sponsor on our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Okay...this is the last of Aaron Burr... we're pretty sure. On July 11, 1804, two of the most powerful men in America met beneath the cliffs of Weehawken, New Jersey. Within hours, Alexander Hamilton would be mortally wounded, Aaron Burr's political future would be shattered, and one of the most famous rivalries in American history would come to a violent end. We examine one of the most famous tru...

This week we are chatting with authors David Bushman and Mark Givens all about their new book, New York's Coldest Cases: Ten Unsolved Murders That Rocked the Empire State . We get into the subjects of the book, many of which are no strangers to The New York Mystery Machine. We are also chatting about their process, some of their hot takes, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and more! Check the book out for...

For decades, queer New Yorkers lived inside a hidden city. Beneath the neon lights of Greenwich Village and behind the blacked-out windows of Mafia-run bars, communities formed under constant surveillance. Police raids, undercover officers, secret government files, public humiliation, and the fear of exposure shaped everyday life during one of the largest campaigns against queer Americans in U.S....

Deep in the forests of early Tennessee, one family claimed they were tormented by an unseen entity that spoke, sang, attacked their children, and ultimately murdered the family patriarch. We descend into the terrifying true legend of the Bell Witch, one of America’s most infamous hauntings that still haunts the Red River Valley more than 200 years later. Be sure to Subscribe, Rate, & Review on...

Today is all about Cassie Chadwick, the Gilded Age Grifter who was the proto-Anna Delvey in the late 1800s and early 1900s. We'll follow Cassie as she assumes multiple identities, creates elaborate backstories, and develop her brashest con -- claiming to be Andrew Carnegie's daughter -- all to climb the ladder of high society and obtain the privileges (and riches) that come with it.  Be su...

A body hangs in a funhouse. It’s been there for decades. Everyone thinks it’s a prop—until it breaks open and reveals something impossible. This is the story of Elmer McCurdy, an outlaw whose body survived long after his life ended. Be sure to Subscribe, Rate, & Review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Audible! Support the show by becoming a sponsor on our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

In an era when cargo ships were able to be in almost constant communication with their companies, it would seem impossible for an entire crew to simply disappear. Yet, in 1921, a highly experienced crew abandoned their ship on the Diamond Shoals - no explanation, few clues, and only rumors of their fate. Learn about the final voyage of the Carroll A. Deering wherever you get your podcasts. Be sure...

In 1967, New York’s East Village was the center of a cultural revolution: music, freedom, and a generation rewriting the rules. But beneath that promise, something darker was unfolding. When two young people were found brutally murdered in a tenement basement on Avenue B, the crime shocked the city and captivated the nation. Branded by the press as the “Groovy Murders,” the case became a flashpoin...

It's April Fool's Day week and Adam and Christina wrote stories for the other person to read without looking at them before hand. What do we end up with? A story about a rare dead bird burglary with a wild surprise guest and a story of possible human combustion! Be sure to Subscribe, Rate, & Review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Audible! Support the show by becoming a sponsor on our P...

When a family purchases a new home, creepy letters from someone claiming to be "The Watcher" start arriving in the mail. Who is the Watcher? What do they want? And how can they be stopped? Be sure to Subscribe, Rate, & Review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Audible! Support the show by becoming a sponsor on our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

For more than thirty years, the Roswell incident was little more than a strange headline from the summer of 1947. Until the late 1970s. In Part Two of our investigation, the Roswell case is reopened. We follow the researchers, witnesses, and bestselling authors who brought the incident back into the public eye, transforming a forgotten military press release into one of the most famous mysteries i...

In July of 1947, a rancher in New Mexico found strange debris scattered across his land. Within hours, the U.S. Army Air Forces announced that they had recovered a “flying disc.” By the next day, they said it was only a weather balloon. That contradiction—issued and retracted in less than twenty-four hours—would become one of the most enduring mysteries of the twentieth century. In Part One of our...

A hideous murder in Morristown, NJ swiftly leads to the conviction of former farmhand Antoine LeBlanc. Normally that would be the end of the story - but, in the case of Antoine LeBlanc, the macabre tale would continue in surprising ways. Learn about the murders and what happened after LeBlanc's execution on this week's episode. Be sure to Subscribe, Rate, & Review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, a...