Episode 493: The Attempted Murder of Olga Rocco

<p>On the morning of December 31, 1946, nineteen-year-old Pearl Lusk boarded a crowded subway train in Brooklyn. A few days earlier, she’d met a man named Allen in a bar who offered her a very strange, yet simple job: she was to follow a young woman named Olga and take a photo to determine whether she was wearing any stolen jewelry.&nbsp;</p><p>That morning, as Pearl and Olga exited the crowded subway train, Pearl raised the camera in Olga’s direction and pulled the wire to take a photo, but what happened next would put into motion a series of events that rivals fiction.</p><p>Thank you to the wonderful Dave White for Research assistance!</p><p>References</p><p>Adams, Toni. 1947. "Troopers hunt and kill Alphonse Rocco." <em>Kingston Daily Freeman</em>, January 7: 1.</p><p>Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 1947. "Camera-gun suspect flees in stolen car." <em>Brooklyn Daily Eagle</em>, January 6: 2.</p><p>Buffalo Evening News. 1947. "'Camera' shooting victim asks N.Y. City to pay her $200,000." <em>Buffalo Evening News</em>, February 14: 1.</p><p>—. 1953. "Court frees city of liability for not averting shooting." <em>Buffalo Evening News</em>, April 22: 25.</p><p>—. 1947. "Police press quest for spouse of camera-gun victim." <em>Buffalo Evening News</em>, January 2: 9.</p><p>—. 1946. "Times Square Station is scene of shooting." <em>Buffalo Evening News</em>, December 31: 10.</p><p>International News Service. 1947. "Estranged wife and family glad Ruocco is dead." <em>Buffalo Evening News</em>, Janaury 7: 1.</p><p>Kingston Daily Freeman. 1947. "Victim of camera shooting guarded." <em>Kingston Daily Freeman</em>, January 2: 18.</p><p>McKelway, St. Clair. 1953. <em>The Perils of Pearl and Olga.</em> August 8. Accessed August 10, 2023. <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1953/08/08/the-perils-of-pearl-and-olga" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1953/08/08/the-perils-of-pearl-and-olga</a>.</p><p>New York Times. 1947. "Camera-gun victim files for $200,000." <em>New York Times