Murder at Ryans Run: exposing the cult of John Africa
Murder at Ryans Run: exposing the cult of John Africa
Beth McNamara
May 13, 1985: A Police Officer’s Account from Osage Avenue
37 minutes Posted May 13, 2025 at 6:00 am.
Introduction to the MOVE Bombing
Meeting Officer Jim Burgheier
Police Positioning Before the Explosion
The Fire Spreads Through Osage Avenue
Rescuing Birdie Africa
Reflections and Aftermath
The Human Cost and Legacy
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Show notes
The haunting story of the MOVE bombing unfolds through the eyes of Philadelphia police officer Jim Berghaier—the Stakeout Cop who rescued 13-year-old Birdie Africa, the only child to survive when authorities dropped explosives on a West Philadelphia rowhouse on May 13, 1985. Standing in the same narrow alley where it happened, Berghaier walks us minute by minute through his experience of that day. His visceral recollections take us back to the moment a satchel of explosives—meant to disable a...