The 1976 Chowchilla Kidnapping

Almost 30 years ago in the central California town of Chowchilla, three guys in their early 20's thought they had devised the "perfect crime" by hi-jacking a school bus, transporting its driver and grade-school kids to a moving van they had buried several feet below the ground's surface at a quarry, and then collecting a cool $5 million in ransom loot. This was mid-70's California, with memories of Manson, Patty Hearst, and the Zodiac Killer still fresh, it didn't take much to fear the worst when the town realized a school bus and its occupants had gone missing. But miraculously, when the criminals left the scene to make the call to police to arrange a deal, the hostages pulled a Houdini and escaped from the underground van. Further spoiling the plan, the phone lines were so jammed that the guys never even got the call through to make their demands to the police. They were eventually caught and sentenced to life in prison. While everyone from the bus were unharmed, the 36 hour ordeal left the kids scarred for life and the 70's AM Gold sounds of Brewer & Shipley or Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods provided little comfort.
The Chowchilla Kidnapping [Crime Library]