A hundred years ago, radios were still rare and valuable things. In 1926, the Woodhaven area of New York was plagued by the “radio burglar,” a criminal who broke into people’s homes just to steal their expensive radios. There was something of a panic among the population.
One night in March, a cop named Arthur Kennedy was on patrol when he encountered the thief carrying something bulky under a blanket. When asked about it, the man fired a gun through the pocket of his overcoat, striking Officer Kennedy. He survived, but this intensified the search for the culprit.
When the thief was encountered again, he shot and killed a detective. A chase followed, and another cop was shot and killed.
Finally, in April, using tips found through a pawn shop, Paul Emmanuel Hilton was arrested, charged, convicted, and executed in the electric chair.
© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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