August 22, 1995: Open Lines
Aug 22, 1995
2h 48m
0:00 / 0:00
Art Bell opens the phone lines on a night dominated by a horrifying story out of Detroit, where a young woman was attacked after a traffic accident, stripped of her clothing, and cheered by dozens of onlookers as she leaped to her death from a bridge over the Detroit River.
The incident becomes a launching point for a broader discussion about the deterioration of society and the accelerating pace of tragedy Art Bell calls "the quickening." Callers weigh in on whether the bystanders should face criminal charges, while Art catalogs a grim parade of recent news: child abuse cases, the busy Atlantic hurricane season spawning multiple storms, and the ongoing O.J. Simpson trial where forensic scientist Dr. Henry Lee has identified mystery footprints at the murder scene. A darkly humorous list of "40 Ways to Destroy the Earth" circulating on the Internet provides momentary comic relief. Callers also debate alien visitation, the possible discovery of Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat, and the story of an 89-year-old Texas billionaire who married a 26-year-old model.
A raw and unflinching snapshot of mid-1990s America grappling with violence, moral decay, and the unknown.
The incident becomes a launching point for a broader discussion about the deterioration of society and the accelerating pace of tragedy Art Bell calls "the quickening." Callers weigh in on whether the bystanders should face criminal charges, while Art catalogs a grim parade of recent news: child abuse cases, the busy Atlantic hurricane season spawning multiple storms, and the ongoing O.J. Simpson trial where forensic scientist Dr. Henry Lee has identified mystery footprints at the murder scene. A darkly humorous list of "40 Ways to Destroy the Earth" circulating on the Internet provides momentary comic relief. Callers also debate alien visitation, the possible discovery of Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat, and the story of an 89-year-old Texas billionaire who married a 26-year-old model.
A raw and unflinching snapshot of mid-1990s America grappling with violence, moral decay, and the unknown.
Key Moments
Detroit bridge tragedy: Art frames the night: Art opens the show with the news from Detroit: a 33-year-old woman, after a late-night traffic accident, was attacked by men from the other car, and as a crowd of 30 to 40 onlookers chanted for her to jump from a bridge over the Detroit River, she did. Two people belatedly jumped in to try to save her.
Should the bystanders who cheered be charged?: Art poses the night's central question: should the 30 to 40 people who chanted for the woman to jump and cheered when she did face any criminal charge? He admits he is not sure what crime would even apply, and turns the question over to listeners.