Photographer that used developing chemicals as a booby-trap

[jdeg]

I just recalled a story in the mid 90's about a newspaper photographer from my home town (Millville, NJ) known for only taking one photograph and then leaving. When he died authorities discovered a safe in his basement that was booby-trapped using photo developing chemicals.

Out of curiosity, would anyone know what he would have used?

Also, I've been unable to find the story (it was only in the local papers), so if anyone out there actually remembers this and could shed some light on it that would be amazing.

 

[Pretzel]

You planning a surprise, jdeg?

 

[hark]

I worked in North Brunswick during the late 80's but can't remember the names of any local newspapers. Was there a paper that began with an 'H' (like The Herald or something?) The Star Leger and The Asbury Park Press might also have something in their archives although I don't know if they would have archived stories before the internet became really popular. I wonder if @BackdoorHippie's brother might be familiar with the story?

 

[BackdoorArts]

Nope

 

[piperbarb]

Could he have rigged it so that the stop bath, which is glacial acetic acid (5% acetic acid by volume is vinegar) would mix with common bleach? That would cause a very nasty reaction and some rather caustic products. It would cause the sodium hypochlorite in the bleach to become hypochlorous acid. If one gets the pH low enough, it would form chlorine gas - some very nasty stuff. Taking off my chemistry hat. I have to do something with my degree, you know.

 

[jdeg]

haha, no I'm not planning anything, I just got curious. I found a reference to the incident: Police detonate chemicals in mayonnaise jar in Millville | NJ.com

His name was Wilfred Ralph, and got the nickname "One shot Ralph".

 

[jdeg]

Could he have rigged it so that the stop bath, which is glacial acetic acid (5% acetic acid by volume is vinegar) would mix with common bleach? That would cause a very nasty reaction and some rather caustic products. It would cause the sodium hypochlorite in the bleach to become hypochlorous acid. If one gets the pH low enough, it would form chlorine gas - some very nasty stuff. Taking off my chemistry hat. I have to do something with my degree, you know.

Thanks! The story I mentioned above says "explosive materials were destroyed". Maybe they just got it wrong, and it was more of a nasty gas that would've been produced.

 

[piperbarb]

When I was an undergrad in Chemistry back in the dark ages of the last century, during the mid 1970s, at least once or twice a year, we would have to evacuate the Chem/Physics building because there would be something smoldering in one of the refrigerators or freezer in the graduate organic chem labs. The State Police bomb squad would come in their bomb suits (I always called them their aluminum suits), take out the smoldering offender on a 4x8 plank of wood and detonate it in the nature preserve. Yeah, the nature preserve. Anyway, the offending substance was usually in a teeny tiny Erlenmeyer flask that could hold no more than maybe 10 or 15 ml, total. It made for great lunchtime talk with my humanities major friends. They were always so shocked. I thought it was funny.

 

[Jbrown]

I lived on south 4th street about a block from where they detonated the booby trap and unstable chemicals that were also in his basement. From what I can remember they were more concerned about some unstable chemicals that were improperly stored for a very long time than they were about the “booby trap”

 

[crandazzo]

I just recalled a story in the mid 90's about a newspaper photographer from my home town (Millville, NJ) known for only taking one photograph and then leaving. When he died authorities discovered a safe in his basement that was booby-trapped using photo developing chemicals.

Out of curiosity, would anyone know what he would have used?

Also, I've been unable to find the story (it was only in the local papers), so if anyone out there actually remembers this and could shed some light on it that would be amazing.

I was a good friend of One Shot Ralph and the safe was wired with c-4 because it held "police evidence" that former Police Chief Pangburn was trying to break in and steal.He was shot by Dr. Wong when caught banging his wife. One shot was the" privately contracted forensic investigator for the City of Millville which means he collected and held evidence. Ralph and I actually shocked the man through his kidneys when he (Pangburn) pissed in his gas tank . I am the reason the army ordinance squad came to clean up that mess. Picric acid ,dynamite c-4;and many other explosives were in that house. That man was a real scientist with ties to the Manhattan Project.

 

[Clovishound]

Not an explosive, but the nastiest chemical I had in my darkroom was farmers reducer.

potassium ferricyanide and sodium thiosulfate

I also remember they used to sell antistatic brushes with a little bit of polonium on a strip.

 

[Bikerbrent_RIP]

Welcome aboard Jbrown, enjoy the ride. We look forward to seeing more posts and samples of your work.

You might also want to consider introducing yourself on New Member Introductions.

 

[weston wills]

I just recalled a story in the mid 90's about a newspaper photographer from my home town (Millville, NJ) known for only taking one photograph and then leaving. When he died authorities discovered a safe in his basement that was booby-trapped using photo developing chemicals.

Out of curiosity, would anyone know what he would have used?

Also, I've been unable to find the story (it was only in the local papers), so if anyone out there actually remembers this and could shed some light on it that would be amazing.

Welcome aboard Jbrown, enjoy the ride. We look forward to seeing more posts and samples of your work.

You might also want to consider introducing yourself on New Member Introductions.

I was in the house the following day. If my memory serves me, Mr. Ralph had a visiting home health aid that came into the residence finding Mr. Ralph in bed, passed away clutching an old handgun. She removed the gun to put it in a dresser drawer to find an old grenade wired inside. She fled the house and called Millville PD. The Atlantic City bomb squad was called. They found that Ralph had one or more secret storage areas containing an assortment of "Things". Eventually several explosive items were found along with a chemistry set assembled on his dining room table that resembled something out of the old Frankenstein movie from the 40s. In the basement we're several boxes of what were liquid Picric acid but age had made them go into a solid crystal form making it incredibly unstable. Some of it was moved behind the house and detonated. I still have 2 Geiger counters that I bought from the manger of the home. I was told that there was also a map with them that annotated a place in the woods where he had buried something that required the use of the counters. I know of no official mentioning of any said map though.... small town stuff...

Mr. Ralph was known as a nice guy his entire life. I suspect dementia crept in or perhaps a vasular issue lead to his mental decline.

I just recalled a story in the mid 90's about a newspaper photographer from my home town (Millville, NJ) known for only taking one photograph and then leaving. When he died authorities discovered a safe in his basement that was booby-trapped using photo developing chemicals.

Out of curiosity, would anyone know what he would have used?

Also, I've been unable to find the story (it was only in the local papers), so if anyone out there actually remembers this and could shed some light on it that would be amazing.

 

[weston wills]

I was a good friend of One Shot Ralph and the safe was wired with c-4 because it held "police evidence" that former Police Chief Pangburn was trying to break in and steal.He was shot by Dr. Wong when caught banging his wife. One shot was the" privately contracted forensic investigator for the City of Millville which means he collected and held evidence. Ralph and I actually shocked the man through his kidneys when he (Pangburn) pissed in his gas tank . I am the reason the army ordinance squad came to clean up that mess. Picric acid ,dynamite c-4;and many other explosives were in that house. That man was a real scientist with ties to the Manhattan Project.

I ended up buying his car. I liked the extra switch he installed in the rear quarter panel.

https://imgur.com/a/zShjlQn