‘Chilling’ Mystery in the Mon: 70 years later, what happened to the B-25 Bomber?
LOCAL BUSINESSES ARE NOW SUPPORTING THE ICE OUT MOVEMENT. PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR THIS MORNING STARTS NOW. GOOD MORNING. THANKS FOR WAKING UP WITH PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR. WE’VE GOT A LOT TO GET TO, BUT WE’RE GOING TO START WITH YOUR CERTIFIED MOST ACCURATE FORECAST. I’M LILY COLEMAN. YOU KNOW, PITTSBURGH’S ACTION WEATHER METEOROLOGIST JILL SZWED. IT IS SO COLD OUT THERE. AND EVERY TIME WE LOOK AT THE RECORD THAT WE KEEP SETTING THIS MORNING, IT GETS LOWER AND LOWER, RIGHT? IT DOES. AND AT LEAST WE’RE NOW STARTING TO GET TO THE PART OF THE DAY WHERE NUMBERS SHOULD BE IMPROVING FOR US. BUT STILL, ANYTHING BELOW ZERO IS MIGHTY COLD HERE ACROSS WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. WE DID SET THAT NEW RECORD LOW OF 11 DEGREES BELOW ZERO IN PITTSBURGH. WE WILL SEE AN UPTICK IN CLOUDS AS WE GO THROUGHOUT THE DAY. SO HOLDING THAT WIND CHILL SUBZERO ON THE SEVERE WEATHER ALERT DAY. TEMPERATURES START TO MOVE UP TOMORROW. WE’RE HEADING INTO THE UPPER TEENS. CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION NEXT WEEK AS NUMBERS WILL BE SHIFTING INTO THE 20S. BUT A FAR CRY FROM THAT. RIGHT NOW, FOUR DEGREES BELOW ZERO. YOUR ACTUAL TEMPERATURE IN PITTSBURGH. ALSO FOR CRANBERRY. STILL 11 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. IN WASHINGTON. IT’S EIGHT BELOW IN GREENSBURG. WE ARE STARTING TO SEE SOME OF THOSE NUMBERS CROSS ONTO THE POSITIVE SIDE OF THINGS. JUST A LOWLY DEGREE IN INDIANA RIGHT NOW. THREE FOR FRANKLIN. WE’RE STILL UNDER THOSE COLD WEATHER ALERTS. EXTREME COLD WARNING NORTH OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH. MEANWHILE, EVERYBODY ELSE SHADED IN BLUE. IT’S A COLD WEATHER ADVISORY THAT’S GOING TO TAKE US THROUGH 11:00 THIS MORNING. SO WITH THAT COMBINATION OF THIS REALLY COLD AIR AND ANY WIND, IT REALLY WILL DRAG THOSE FEELS LIKE TEMPERATURES DOWN IN A HURRY. AS YOU WORK THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. AGAIN, THOSE TEMPERATURES ARE SLOWLY WARMING UP, BUT STILL IT’S THE BREEZE THAT’S GOING TO HOLD US BACK WITH. FEELS LIKE TEMPERATURES CLOSE TO ZERO, IF NOT A FEW DEGREES BELOW THAT. WE’LL ALL GO UNDER ANOTHER COLD WEATHER ADVISORY LATER ON TONIGHT. AS WE HEAD INTO THE START OF YOUR SUNDAY, THEN BACK TO BACK IMPACT DAYS, WE KICK OFF THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 18TH FOR A HIGH SUNDAY. HOW ABOUT 25 ON GROUNDHOG DAY? AND YOU CAN SEE THOSE NUMBERS CONTINUE TO STAY PUT IN THE 20S, EVEN GETTING CLOSE TO 30 BY FRIDAY. DON’T GET USED TO THAT WARM UP. SADLY, MORE BITING COLD AIR COULD BE COMING OUR WAY FOR THE SECOND WEEK OF FEBRUARY. I’LL HELP YOU PLAN AHEAD, OF COURSE. BREAKDOWN IN DETAIL AT YOUR 4-DAY PLUS 4 MORE IN JUST FEW MINUTES. YOU CERTAINLY HAVE OUR ATTENTION, JOE. THANK YOU. THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH OPENING UP A NUMBER OF ACTIVE LIVING CENTERS TODAY AS WARMING CENTERS BECAUSE OF THIS BRUTAL COLD. FOUR OF THE LOCATIONS LISTED THERE ON YOUR SCREEN WILL OPEN AT 11 A.M., AND WILL STAY OPEN UNTIL 6 P.M. MEANWHILE, THE SOUTH SIDE MARKET HOUSE IS OPEN RIGHT NOW AT 730 THIS MORNING. IT WILL STAY OPEN UNTIL 630 TONIGHT. THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER RECREATION CENTERS THAT WILL BE OPEN AT VARIOUS TIMES THROUGHOUT THE DAY. YOU CAN FIND A COMPLETE LIST ON THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH’S WEBSITE. WE TURN NOW TO BREAKING NEWS IN MATHER, GREENE COUNTY THIS MORNING. CREWS BATTLING AN APARTMENT FIRE ON THIRD STREET JUST A SHORT TIME AGO. OUR CREWS THERE AT THE SCENE SAY OFFICIALS TELL THEM MULTIPLE PEOPLE HAD TO BE FLOWN TO THE HOSPITAL. WE ARE REACHING OUT TO OFFICIALS TO LEARN MORE. AT THIS POINT, IT’S UNCLEAR HOW MANY DIFFERENT APARTMENTS WERE IMPACTED, HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE DISPLACED. IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER INJURIES BEING REPORTED. ALL QUESTIONS WE’RE WORKING ON GETTING ANSWERED FOR YOU. WE’LL BE SURE TO KEEP YOU UPDATED ON AIR AND ONLINE@WTAE.COM. MEANWHILE, OVERNIGHT IN WESTMORELAND COUNTY, CREWS ARE BUSY THERE AS WELL, BATTLING A HOUSE FIRE IN NEW KENSINGTON. THIS WAS THAT SCENE ON OATES BOULEVARD. CREWS WERE THERE FOR HOURS. THE FIRST CALL CAME IN AROUND 1:00 THIS MORNING. DISPATCHERS SAY TWO PEOPLE HAD TO BE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. A WITNESS AT THAT SCENE TELLS US THE FAMILY’S CAT INSIDE DID NOT MAKE IT OUT. AGAIN, NO WORD ON WHAT STARTED THIS FIRE, BUT WE’LL LET YOU KNOW AS SOON AS WE HAVE NEW DETAILS. AND CREWS, LIKE I SAID, VERY BUSY. THEY ALSO RESPONDED TO A FIRE IN THE CITY’S EAST HILLS NEIGHBORHOOD OVERNIGHT. THIS ONE BROKE OUT IN AN APARTMENT BUILDING ON EAST HILLS DRIVE AROUND 1130 LAST NIGHT. DISPATCHERS SAY ONE PERSON WAS HURT AND HAD TO BE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. NO WORD ON WHAT STARTED THAT FIRE. FOUR AFTER NINE IS OUR TIME. WE TURN NOW TO OUR NATION’S CAPITAL. RIGHT NOW, A PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN STARTED OVERNIGHT AS THE DEBATE IN CONGRESS OVER REFORMING IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT CONTINUES. IT’S THE SECOND FEDERAL FUNDING LAPSE IN LESS THAN THREE MONTHS, BUT THIS 1ST MAY BE SHORT LIVED. OUR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, JACKIE DEFUSCO JOINS US FROM INSIDE THE CAPITOL THIS MORNING. JACKIE. THAT LAST SHUTDOWN WAS THE LONGEST IN AMERICAN HISTORY. SO WHERE DO THINGS STAND THIS WEEKEND? A PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN STARTED AT MIDNIGHT, BUT THE SENATE DID VOTE ON FRIDAY TO FUND MOST OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THROUGH THE END OF SEPTEMBER. THE REASON THAT A SHUTDOWN HAPPENED, REGARDLESS, IS BECAUSE THE DEAL STRUCK BETWEEN PRESIDENT TRUMP AND SENATE DEMOCRATS STILL NEEDS TO GO BACK OVER TO THE HOUSE FOR APPROVAL, AND THEY’RE NOT EXPECTED TO COME BACK TO CAPITOL HILL UNTIL MONDAY. IN THE MEANTIME, FEDERAL AGENCIES INCLUDED IN THAT SPENDING PACKAGE, LIKE THE DEPARTMENTS OF DEFENSE, EDUCATION, TRANSPORTATION, HEALTH AND LABOR ARE EXPECTED TO START IMPLEMENTING SHUTDOWN CONTINGENCY PLANS. TYPICALLY, THAT MEANS ESSENTIAL SERVICES CONTINUE, LIKE SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE, WHILE OTHERS COULD FACE DISRUPTIONS. NOW, THAT IMPACT SHOULD BE LIMITED. IF THIS IS RESOLVED EARLY NEXT WEEK. BUT IF THE LAPSE DRAGS ON FOR LONGER, FEDERAL WORKERS, SOME OF WHOM WILL BE FURLOUGHED, COULD SEE PAYCHECK DELAYS, TOO. UNLIKE THE LAST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, SNAP BENEFITS WILL NOT BE IMPACTED BECAUSE THE AGENCY THAT OVERSEES THE FOOD AID PROGRAM WAS AMONG THOSE FUNDED LAST YEAR. THE BIG QUESTION MOVING FORWARD IS WHETHER CONGRESS WILL PASS NEW RESTRICTIONS ON IMMIGRATION RATES. THE SENATE DEAL CALLS FOR EXTENDING DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY FUNDING FOR JUST TWO WEEKS. FOR NOW, WHILE NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE, AND THERE’S NO GUARANTEE OF COMPROMISE, SENATE DEMOCRATS WILL NOT SUPPORT A DHS BILL UNLESS IT RAINS IN ICE AND ENDS THE VIOLENCE. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SUBSTANCE RATHER THAN THE SLOGANS, THE DEMANDS ALL CONVERGE ON A SINGLE OUTCOME. ROBBING US OF THE POWER TO ENFORCE OUR IMMIGRATION LAWS. THOSE DEMOCRATIC DEMANDS INCLUDE THINGS LIKE ENDING SO-CALLED ROVING PATROLS REQUIRING BODY CAMERAS AND REMOVING MASKS ON ICE AGENTS. BUT REPUBLICANS ARE EXPECTED TO BRING THEIR OWN IDEAS TO THE TABLE, LIKE CRACKING DOWN ON SANCTUARY CITIES ON CAPITOL HILL. I’M JACKIE DEFUSCO. PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR. JACKIE. THANK YOU. AS LAWMAKERS CONTINUE TO DEBATE FUNDING FOR DHS, ANTI-ISIS DEMONSTRATIONS CONTINUE NATIONWIDE. SEVERAL PROTESTS WERE HELD ACROSS THE COUNTRY YESTERDAY. THE DEMONSTRATIONS STEM, OF COURSE, FROM THE RECENT DEATHS OF ALEX AND RENE GOOD, BOTH AT THE HANDS OF FEDERAL AGENTS IN MINNESOTA AND HERE AT HOME. LARGE CROWDS ALSO MARCHING THROUGH DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH YESTERDAY IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE NATIONAL ICE MOVEMENT. DEMONSTRATORS ARE CALLING ON OUR STATE AND FEDERAL LAWMAKERS TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST WHAT THEY SAY IS THE ESCALATING ICE TACTICS NATIONWIDE. I STRONGLY OPPOSE WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH ICE. I THINK THAT IS ESSENTIALLY THE GESTAPO. RIGHT. IT’S IT’S A PLAYBACK OF HISTORY. WE JUST SEE IT HAPPENING AGAIN. I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO SHOW UP AND TO SHOW THAT YOU’RE FINDING THE PRACTICES BY OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CURRENTLY THAT ARE UNACCEPTABLE TO USE YOUR VOICE. AND IF YOU’RE NOT SOMEONE WHO CAN SHOW UP, THERE’S STILL OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT THESE CAUSES ONLINE AND ELSEWHERE. ADDITIONAL PROTESTS AND VIGILS ARE SCHEDULED THIS WEEKEND ACROSS THE CITY, AND MANY ORGANIZERS OF THOSE PROTESTS CALLED FOR A NATIONAL SHUTDOWN YESTERDAY, ASKING PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO NOT WORK, SHOP OR SHOW UP FOR SCHOOL. BUT MANY SMALL BUSINESSES AROUND OUR REGION TELL US THAT WAS JUST NOT AN OPTION. PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR REPORTER JORDAN CIOPPA SHOWS US THE UNIQUE WAY SOME LOCAL BARS AND STORES ARE SHOWING THEIR SUPPORT. INSTEAD. NO WORK, NO SCHOOL, NO SHOPPING, WAS THE MESSAGE BEHIND THE NATIONAL SHUTDOWN FRIDAY. PEOPLE ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AND HERE IN PITTSBURGH OPTED OUT OF WORK AND SCHOOL INSTEAD, TAKING TO THE STREETS TO PROTEST AGAINST IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT. THE PEOPLE UNITED WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED. IMMIGRANTS HAVE REALLY MADE THE FABRIC OF THE SERVICE INDUSTRY. AND SO THIS IS LIKE OUR WAY OF SHOWING SUPPORT AND THANKING THEM FOR EVERYTHING THAT THEY’VE DONE. WHILE BUSINESSES WERE ENCOURAGED TO CLOSE, SOME LOCALLY OWNED PLACES LIKE JACK GINGER BEER AND LARIMER DECIDED TO STAY OPEN AND SHOW SUPPORT IN OTHER WAYS. BAR MANAGER NEVE GOLDBERG SAYS THEY WILL HOLD A HAPPY HOUR ON FEBRUARY 9TH TO BENEFIT THE ORGANIZATION FRONTLINE DIGNITY. WE DECIDED IT WAS IMPORTANT TO STILL BE OPEN TODAY TO PROVIDE A THIRD SPACE AND OBVIOUSLY LIKE SUPPORT OUR EMPLOYEES DURING THIS TIME THAT WE’VE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH THE WEATHER. BOOKSTORES HISTORICALLY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SORT OF THIRD SPACES IN THE COMMUNITY, AND WE WANTED TO REMAIN OPEN SO THAT WE HAD A PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO COME AND GATHER AND HAVE SUPPORT IF THEY NEED IT. JILL YEOMANS OWNS WHITE WHALE BOOKSTORE IN BLOOMFIELD. SHE SAYS THEIR NUMBERS ARE DOWN 64% THIS WEEK COMPARED TO THE SAME TIME LAST YEAR BECAUSE OF THE SNOWSTORM. SINCE CLOSING WASN’T AN OPTION, THEY’RE RAISING MONEY AND AWARENESS THROUGH BOOKS. WE HAVE, I THINK, 80 BOOKS ON THERE. A LOT OF THEM ARE ABOUT CURRENT EVENTS, ABOUT IMMIGRATION, ABOUT MUTUAL AID, ABOUT JUST BEING NEIGHBORLY AND A COMMUNITY MEMBER. THIS WEEK, THE PROCEEDS FROM THAT SELECT LIST OF BOOKS WILL BE DONATED TO THE 18 AREA NONPROFITS IN THE COLLABORATIVE FOR IMMIGRANT IMPACT FUND. THESE ARE OUR NEIGHBORS, AND WE CARE ABOUT THEM, AND WE WANT EVERYONE TO BE WELCOME HERE. JORDAN CIOPPA, PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR. AND THIS MORNING, WE’VE LEARNED AN OAKMONT RESIDENT WAS REPORTEDLY DETAINED BY ICE EARLIER THIS WEEK. OUR PARTNERS AT THE TRIB REPORT, JOSE FLORES, WAS TAKEN INTO ICE CUSTODY THURSDAY IN FRONT OF HIS WIFE AND EIGHT YEAR OLD DAUGHTER. HOWEVER, HIS WIFE AND DAUGHTER WERE NOT DETAINED. STATE REPRESENTATIVE JOE MCANDREWS SAID IN A SOCIAL MEDIA POST THAT JOSE’S IMMIGRATION STATUS IS LEGAL AND HE IS ON A FIVE YEAR WORK VISA. HE CALLED THE INCIDENT AN ABDUCTION. WE ARE WORKING ON GETTING MORE DETAILS AND WE’LL KEEP YOU UPDATED AS THE SITUATION UNFOLDS. MEANWHILE, IN RESPONSE TO RECENT ICE ACTIVITY, PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR JOSH SHAPIRO’S OFFICE IS NOW OFFERING ONLINE RESOURCES FOR INDIVIDUALS TO LEARN ABOUT THEIR RIGHTS. IF ICE EVER APPROACHES. YOU CAN FIND THOSE MATERIALS@PA.GOV. SLASH KNOW YOUR RIGHTS. THE PENGUINS WILL TRY FOR THEIR SIXTH STRAIGHT WIN AGAINST MIKE SULLIVAN AND THE VISITING NEW YORK RANGERS TODAY AT 330. THAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN RIGHT HERE ON WTAE CHANNEL 4. WE GET YOU STARTED FIRST THOUGH WITH THE PENGUINS ON FOR PREGAME. AN HOU
‘Chilling’ Mystery in the Mon: 70 years later, what happened to the B-25 Bomber?
Updated: 5:16 PM EST Jan 31, 2026
Seventy years later, questions continue to swirl about the B-25 Bomber, a WWII-era plane that ran out of fuel and crashed into the icy Monongahela River. VIDEO: Top news stories on Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 Around 4 p.m. on Jan. 31, 1956, the American military plane reported a loss of fuel and requested permission to land at the Allegheny County Airport.The plane glided over the Homestead High Level Bridge, later making a splash landing near the Glenwood Bridge in Hays. Four of the six crew members survived. Two of those crew members drowned while trying to swim safely to shore. The B-25 plane quickly sank and was never fully recovered. “They pulled a wingtip out of the water and we have a picture taken of that -there’s actually a picture taken of the crane lifting the wingtip out of the water – the cable slid off the wingtip and the plane sank back beneath the surface and then they tried to recover it a little bit that evering they couldn’t find it,” Steve Byers with the B-25 Recovery Group said. “They went back, and they still couldn’t find it.”B-25 Recovery Group, a team of volunteers, has worked with the Heinz History Center in hopes of locating the lost plane. On Saturday, they held a ceremony to commemorate one of Pittsburgh’s unknown mysteries. According to the Heinz History Center’s website, the plane’s disappearance has sparked numerous conspiracy theories. Some suggested that the bomber carried “dangerous or mysterious cargo and that the U.S. military secretly recovered from the plane’s wreckage immediately after the crash landing to hide its true contents.”Others believe the mystery bomber may have been carrying a nuclear weapon or even a UFO from Area 51 near Las Vegas.Despite extensive research, sonar scanners, and remote-controlled cameras, the Recovery Group found no evidence of the plane during several attempts, the Heinz History Center said on its website. To this day, the “Ghost Bomber” remains one of Pittsburgh’s most famous unsolved mysteries.
ALLEGHENY COUNTY —
Seventy years later, questions continue to swirl about the B-25 Bomber, a WWII-era plane that ran out of fuel and crashed into the icy Monongahela River.
VIDEO: Top news stories on Pittsburgh’s Action News 4
Around 4 p.m. on Jan. 31, 1956, the American military plane reported a loss of fuel and requested permission to land at the Allegheny County Airport.
The plane glided over the Homestead High Level Bridge, later making a splash landing near the Glenwood Bridge in Hays.
Four of the six crew members survived. Two of those crew members drowned while trying to swim safely to shore.
The B-25 plane quickly sank and was never fully recovered.
“They pulled a wingtip out of the water and we have a picture taken of that -there’s actually a picture taken of the crane lifting the wingtip out of the water – the cable slid off the wingtip and the plane sank back beneath the surface and then they tried to recover it a little bit that evering they couldn’t find it,” Steve Byers with the B-25 Recovery Group said. “They went back, and they still couldn’t find it.”
B-25 Recovery Group, a team of volunteers, has worked with the Heinz History Center in hopes of locating the lost plane. On Saturday, they held a ceremony to commemorate one of Pittsburgh’s unknown mysteries.
According to the Heinz History Center’s website, the plane’s disappearance has sparked numerous conspiracy theories. Some suggested that the bomber carried “dangerous or mysterious cargo and that the U.S. military secretly recovered from the plane’s wreckage immediately after the crash landing to hide its true contents.”
Others believe the mystery bomber may have been carrying a nuclear weapon or even a UFO from Area 51 near Las Vegas.
Despite extensive research, sonar scanners, and remote-controlled cameras, the Recovery Group found no evidence of the plane during several attempts, the Heinz History Center said on its website.
To this day, the “Ghost Bomber” remains one of Pittsburgh’s most famous unsolved mysteries.