Evening star., 1955-07-10
Boy and Sailor
Held in $4,000
Disaster Hoax


NEW YORK, July 9 (R.-A
damp-eyed boy Of II and a sui
len pal Of 81 were jailed today
as the perpetrators of this weeks
Atlantic Ocean disaster hoax.
Authorities said the two sent
out the sensational-and bogus
radio sos early Thursday which
set of an uproar along half the
Eastern seaboard. The two ad-
mitted the hoax.
Ships and planes secured an
area of 1000 square miles in q
futile 30-hour search for a FAM
ing fishing boat" as well as q
foreign submarine" which sup
posedly took aboard 81 surviv-
ors and vanished. The Coast
Guard estimated the search cost
$50,000.
It all came about, officers said,
because the two culprits fell
to talking about radio during a
tour of bars and the elder de-
cided to show his young pal how
a real radio works"
The two were Thomas NAL
dona. 81, of East Rockaway,
N. Y, an unemployed crewman
on a commercial fishing boat,
and his friend, George Teen, II,
Of Oceanside, N. Y.
Lost Job on Ship
| If convicted Of a Federal
charge of taking a sea disaster,
they could receive sentences up
to a year in prison and $4,000
fine each.
Maldona was laid of six weeks
ago from work on the fishing
vessel st. Joseph. It was from
this vessel, anchored in the New
York suburb Of East Rockaway
on Long Island. that the fake
distress message was broadcast.
authorities said.
The story Of how Maldona and
the Teen boy were tracked down
was almost as astonishing as the
hoax itself. Federal officials
previously had chalked off such
a feat as all but impossible.
But routine investigation Of
a burglary aboard the st. Joseph
did the trick.
Radio Room Door Forced
William Herivede of Valley
Stream, Long Island. the fishing
vessels owner, went aboard his
craft and found that the door
of the radio room had been brok-
en- open Wednesday night.
The radiotelephone transmit
ter had been turned on and left
operating.
Police didn't disclose exactly
how their attention was turned
to Maldona, but they took him
and young Teen into custody
Friday night.
Teen, a good-looking young
ster who wore a crucifix under
his open collar sport shirt, and
Maldona, clad in grimy work
clothes and much-worn loafer
type shoes, were found at their
homes in poorer sections of their
respective communities.
Interrogating officials, mindful
of the maritime hoax and the
fact that the st. Joseph's radio
was on. began questioning the
two.
Youth Breaks Down
For four hours the two denied
any connection. Finally, it was
said, the 17-year-old broke down
and acknowledged his part; his
companion then made q similar
admission.
They were quoted as saying
they didn't realize the messages
would actually touch of a
search"
However. a Coast Guard
spokesman said the distress
messages sent out by voice over
the ships radiotelephone were
transmitted according to stand
ard radio procedure for an hour
and IS minutes without a single
mistake"
The reports. among other
things, depicted the fishing ship
Blue Star" as having hit a
strange object about 80 miles
of the New Jersey coast.
FEC May Intervene
4 Maldona and Teen were ar
Iraigned in District Court at Min
cola, N. Y, today on third de-
gree burglary charges 'stemming
from the st. Joseph break-in
They were held in lieu of $4,000
bail for a hearing Tuesday.
REPORT