I can't believe that nobody was charged with the murder of brian, even if he was involved. They switched out the bomb for a real bomb and there was nothing he could do about it, I can't see how this isn't murder.
Assisted suicide isn't legal either.. So even if he was in on it and was okay with dying (which it sounds he was not okay with that), they should still be charged for murdering him. If someone asks you to kill them and you do it, it's still considered murder in other cases. I don't see how this one is different.
I was thinking the same. Even if hè was in for the bank stuff. He would still have thought that the bomb was fake and he wouldn’t die. They put a real bomb on him and it killed him. Killing someone is still murder in my eyes
i remember watching the documentary on netflix about this, i was so shocked and just mind blown about how insane and bizzare this case was. thank you eleanor for another amazing true crime case!
You sound like you're talking about him as if he's a victim - he made of had learning difficulties but at that age he'd know robbing a bank at gunpoint is bad. If he was that severely disabled where he didn't understand what he was doing he wouldn't of been as functioning in daily life as he was... He got involved in serious criminal activity and as the saying goes you play stupid games you win stupid prizes.
@@KoboldPip he didn’t know he was supposed to rob a bank until after he had the bomb on his neck. He didn’t sign up for that. Maybe you should watch more documentaries on this.
One of the things making me question whether Brian was a part of it or not is the fact that he told police that his abductors were "three black men" before he died, if he was truly innocent why would he say that? That through me off completely the entire time while watching this
He said it was "3 black men" that strapped the b0mb around his neck. He was absolutely in on it. You know what they say about stupid games and stupid prizes...
yeah it would be but cops can’t quite prove that brian didn’t know he was strapping a bomb to his chest. they definitely should’ve gotten charged w something in connection to his death (1deg manslaughter)
Born and raised in Erie. This case was shocking, it's usually a quiet city with not a lot of major crime. I'm shocked that more people haven't covered this, it's truly twisted. If you are looking for another Erie case, I'd say look into Stephen Treiber. It's very, very, very sad. He was a serial arsonist that eventually murdered his infant daughter. I lived across the street from him, as did my grandparents. And his own parents lived on the other side of my grandparents house. He owned many houses in the neighborhood and was a really bad landlord to the tenants who lived in those houses. His step daughter, around my sisters age, came over a lot and swam in our pool with her. Anytime he came over to tell her it was time to come home for dinner, he would complain to my parents about his "enemies." when his then wife would come to get the daughter, she would complain about him mistreating her. He was always knocking on neighbors doors claiming he had people coming after him and threatening him and asking us to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Sometimes he claimed his car was broken into, sometimes he claimed he saw shadey people lurking around, etc. He was so weird and tried really hard to make the neighbors believe he was just some poor landlord with disgruntled current tenants and vindictive former tenants and that's why all the houses he owned-including his own parents home-kept catching on fire. About 6 weeks before the fire, he was showing everyone in the neighborhood a photo of a note that was made from magazine letters, the note threatened to burn down his house and kill his dogs (just a year or so earlier, his parents house burned down and all of their dogs died. Very sad, because his father had bred those dogs for generations. They were basically the great great great grand kids of his very first dog.) My mom was one of the people who called 911, and my grandpa went immediately to his garage to grab some ladders and anything else that might help the family escape before emergency responders arrived. The house next door almost caught fire, and the family that lived in it stayed the night with my grandparents as the fire took hours to be put out. One thing I will never forget from that night is hearing Treiber tell the firefighters that night that it was just him, his dogs, and his girlfriend. My grandpa and mom immediately shouted to the firefighters that we had all seen him with his daughter earlier and he'd been making a big deal to all the neighbors that this was his last visit w his daughter as his now ex wife had been granted full custody and asking for more child support. When the fire fighters asked him about this, he shrugged and said it was too late, she was probably already dead. It was horrific. And it could have been worse. He had begged the judge to let all of his kids stay with him that weekend as a big family. He had a few previous kids with other women, and in all cases the mothers all got primary custody. He'd been planning on *all* of his kids burning alive in the fire he started. In the weeks prior, we'd seen him having a "fire drill" practice where he installed a chain ladder from his bedroom window and him and his new girlfriend practiced evacuating, insisting to neighbors when questioned that he was taking the aforementioned threatening note "seriously." he made sure his dogs and girlfriend would survive but let his toddler burn to death. He was a twisted man who'd left a trail of burning destruction in his wake, he'd burned down many of the homes he owned and rented, not caring about the families who rented from him. He was abusive to all of his partners, yelled at his kids and step kids, just wretched man that's now on death row.
That poor little girl😢 I can't imagine her horror she felt in her moments leading up to her death. Why do these monsters keep breeding children when they intend to treat them like trash or kill them?
Oh my god, this is terrible! I’m about to search about it, even if you explained it very well and your first hand experience is an even better option for telling this story.
@@Lffewgj they don't mean that. Regardless of whether or not he was involved, he was chosen as the bomber because of how easy he was to manipulate. So whether or not he was involved, he still seemed the nicest out of the bunch of absolute wrong'uns involved.
Pizza delivery is a terrifying job, but the money for an entry level job makes it so tempting for people who are on hard times. When I was 18-21 I delivered and everything time something weird/scary happened I swore it would be the last time. It took something really terrible happening for me to quit. I guess my experience makes me feel even more for Brian. I hope he is in a better case and that his mother and cats made it through okay
Not sure if those who commented will see this but a customer attempted to drag me into his house. Which Tbh would be the dumbest way to commit a crime bc the company knows exactly where I was going. But still scary.
This case is so crazy, the amount of effort put into this is so crazy. This seems like a film or a movie because wtf, who goes out of their way to create a whole scavenger hunt just for bank robberies?? But then again, that's what makes this case so interesting
I get the distinct impression that the conspirators watched a lot of movies and were trying to make this cinematic. Which is either a genius move or a really dumb one, and I guess they got lucky.
I don't get it, IF what Marjorie said was true (about Bryan being involved the whole time) then why go to all the trouble of writing detailed notes of where to go and everything? Why would Bryan ever WILLINGLY strap a homemade bomb to himself, whether he thought it was fake or not? My theory about why he appeared so calm in the bank is because he knew his abductors weren't too far behind, and he was told to not make a scene or else it would go off. I would imagine he thought he had to be as calm as he could be to at least TRY to make it out of this situation alive. No matter what however, I don't think I could ever truly believe Marjorie's story.
I kind of do believe her story to an extent, if you think back to the beginning Bryan said that it was 3 black guys that did this to him - which confused me through-out the case since the only kind of "black guy" involved was their roommate? And the fact that he was just calm in general, the fact that his boss couldn't understand the location and he could, the fact that the bomb wasn't like the one written in the letters and was just planning to go off at a random time - the look of fear in his eyes when it did. Of course we don't know for sure, but to me personally there's just - something iffy about Bryan being completely innocent.
I would guess the note thing was so it couldnt be traced back to the 3 people and it would just be a one and done thing and it would really make it seem like he was just abducted instead of a planned attack
One of the things I heard was the bomb squad and police were exceptionally slow because "it could be fake" so they didn't want to waste the bomb squads time, as if they have something else to do in this small city.
Not every small city has their own bomb squad. They are assigned for huge areas (also why they needed so long to arrive) so theoretically they could have been on a different case several hours away and the police didn't want to call them over in case this bomb was fake.
@@Mercyfalls Funny how that's not what happened. Quick google search tells you Erie has their own bomb squad and it has been there since 1975. The chances of there being 2 bomb threats in Erie at the same time are slim to none.
Lmao people act like this was a typical situation. The police should have told the bomb to freeze it was under arrest. There’s a biiiiiig difference between a potential bomb and an active ticking bomb that could go off at any second. And I’m no expert, just have common sense which also leads me to know that experts probably have a better understanding of these things than we do.
@@KoboldPipi don’t think that’s what they meant, it’s more that she’s letting more of her personality into her videos. It’s not trivialising the topics
Brian cooking for his mom and them enjoying it together made me tear up. My mom is still alive, thank God, but my dad isn't. I visit mom twice a week, she knows what days. Last Thursday she said "see you Sunday ☺️". It actually feels special she is tuned into these days. Sometimes she goes out to buy a special type of Dutch smoked sausage. And she doesn't just do it for herself. She always wants to eat half of it each. You can see she enjoys this little "activity" together. I can totally Imagine how much it would have meant to Brian and his mom to spend that one day a week together and also how lost mom would have been losing her son now too. Really sad.
I've watched the Netflix documentary and the Buzzfeed Unsolved video about this and I still watched Eleanor's video because I love the way she tells stories.
It's almost as if when you trust a junkie that tells you to put on a "fake" bomb and tells you to rob a bank that something bad may happen to you... even if he had lived the only place he deserves to be is a prison cell ... and those places are overpopulated and expensive anyway.
I live in Erie. I worked in the same plaza that this happened. It was insanity. You did great describing our city and the whole crazy caper. Thank you.
I have recommended this a few times and I'm glad to see you got to it! This happened in my hometown and my dad grew up next door to Bill Rothstein and knew him which is crazy to think about. Thanks for covering it with detail and respect to the victims.
Eleanor, I'm so excited for your new post! Your stories always have so much detail and I love learning from your channel. You're such a hard worker and it definitely shows in your content. Speaking of which, I started my own true crime RUclips channel and it's been going great, thanks in part to the inspiration and guidance you've provided. Can't wait to tune in and learn more. Thank you!
But he was also so calm with the bomb being on him until he knew for a fact he was going to die. I truly think he was apart of it. It all makes sense. I just don't think he thought he would die.
@@chelseetyler1003 he was developmentally delayed, remember? Also: they scared him so much that he had to follow instructions and not tell who it was or he would die, I am guessing if he told them who he saw doing it, he'd die as a result I genuinely don't believe he was involved at all, remember he probably was acting calm as he was told to do so & they said he would survive if he did as he asked and didn't waiver... poor guy
i absolutely believe that bryan was involved. no person genuinely fearing for their life could be so calm that they casually eat a lollipop while being told that they cannot meet their hostage taker’s demands.
im kind of in the middle of that point, because a part of me agrees, but the other part of me thinks that if i knew i was gonna die, i might as well have free candy.
I remember watching one of the documentaries on this case. What stuck out the most to me was how police handled the bomb situation, and the outcry from his family that they didn't do enough. I feel so bad for his mom, she was a widow and then lost her son. So sad 😢
I appreciate your videos. You take the time to highlight WHO the victim was and not what they actually became to a lot of people. You never relish in the gory details of a case and always give warnings and respect the people being talked about in the case and i appreciate that.
the thing that is so confusing to me about this case is that brian told the police his abductors were “three black men” but in reality nobody involved with this case is black? i understand he was obviously terrified and definitely wasn’t thinking straight but that’s such a strangely specific thing to get mixed up with. idk, it just doesn’t sit right with me. unless his abductors told him to tell the police that to try and throw them off, but i would’ve thought if that was an instruction for him it would be in the letters they gave him.
Brian was instructed to say that, I'm not sure whether it was in the notes or not but some of the suspects said they instructed him to say that before he went
I go to school in Erie Pennsylvania and remember learning about this case before even arriving here! So happy to hear you talk about something so local!
Born and raised in Erie PA and I vividly recall this happening!! And I also remember this crazy field trip we took to the county jail for criminal justice class and the CO was like "there's Marjorie" absolutely wild. My son's father had Bill as a teacher once in high school and said he was an absolute weirdo.
It's so crazy to recognize everything in this case because it's my home town as well. This case shook Erie very much. I remember my parents watching the news on this and how horrified they looked.
Genuinely in love with this woman. She's amazing! Puts so much time and research into the cast, make great quality content, and is clearly so passionate about what She's talking about. You make every case so interesting and exciting whilst also being respectful to the people involved in the cases. Love it 👏👏👏
I love several true crime channels, but I never get as truly thrilled as I do when I get an “Eleanor notification”! This channel will just always and forever be my absolute fave!! ♥️
I’ve actually heard this case on another YT channel, but Eleanor always slays her true crime videos and is so thorough that I still always learn some new facts (even about cases that I am already familiar with). Yes queen! 💅🏼
I remember the Netflix documentary they did on this - they had footage of the moment the bomb detonated (from a distance) and it was absolutely devastating to watch.
I saw Ryan and Shane cover this story and I STILL think about how the heck this all happened. Loved hearing your take on this! I hadn’t seen those photos either, it’s scary to see it rather than just picture it.
@@jadeybaby007 exactly a lot of people where saying he was calm maybe he was exhausted physically from all the things he’s been doing also having this heavy thing around his neck you can tell he was very uncomfortable
The Netflix doc about this case is CRAZY. This is one of those cases you find and you just know it’ll NEVER leave you alone. I enjoyed the doc and I’m enjoying this video you’ve put together here. Great job as always and keep it up, we love your stuff. This entire thing is wild.
So heartbreaking for Brian. He was just trying to do his job and it sucks so bad that the police couldn’t believe him. I understand why, but it’s so unfortunate.
This case was the first time my hometown made national news. People talked about it for weeks! Waiting for the updates in real time was too frustrating, so I tuned it out pretty early. So most of this details is new to me!
I’m actually from Erie Pennsylvania! This case was huge when I was young! I used to drive up and down Peach Street and think about this case and the pictures you shared! So glad you covered this case about my home town… even if you did make it sound eerie lol
Could you do a video on the toy box killer? Ive heard about that case but don't know much about it, you're so good at explaining and helping us understand the cases you cover!❤
I was obsessed w this case when I found it. I watched a really good documentary on it (Netflix I think???) and it made me go down a rabbit hole. So cool to see you cover it, Eleanor! And happy belated birthday!!! 🎉
i remember watching a documentary about this a while ago and when the bomb blew up, they didn't cut to footage until you had already seen a bit. it was quite disturbing.
hi eleanor, gotta ask how have you been doing? wqnted to let you know you are honestly the only true crime youtuber that I find the storytelling of interesting! so I just wanted to let you know your'e amazing!
This is such a sad case. All the way around it. Brian had no plan of being killed yet the people who put the bomb around Brian’s neck knowing it was a real bomb.
just wanna say ever since I found Eleanor 6 months ago, I watch her videos every single day to during my self-care relaxation time. her presence calms my ocd/bpd anxiety so much. keep up the good work!!!!
You're by far my favorite true crime creator.. ALWAYS respectful not only to the victims but also to your viewers and their well-being. You're also very consistent and it's obvious you really did your research to the best of your ability. Plus your personality is so down to earth and vibrant! The accent is just a cherry on top lol but seriously, thank you for all your hard work! We all appreciate it! ❤️😊
There’s a saying “if u ever wanna get away with murder do it in Erie” I highly suggest Lila Ebright case and the Gama case both in Erie .. but if u look up my town there’s a dozen or so more for u to cover .. especially for such a small town
My family has lived in Erie for years and I still live here. My parents only lived 5 minutes away from that eyeglass place at the time of it. I was only 3 when it happened but it gripped everyone, I think it still does in a sense! Thanks for the video, I love your content ❤️
I remember watching the news as this was happening. Seeing the panic then the bomb going off. I never knew what the outcome was, as I lived in Utah and the news then was unlike today's ability with social media. (To be as simply said.) So WOW I had NO idea what a crazy web the outcome was. That being said, Thank You for doing this case, and all the cases you do.
I feel so bad for Brian and honestly believe he shouldn’t have been murdered regardless of if he was associated or not. Although, when I heard about the neck bomb my brain went straight to “well someone’s been watching far too many saw movies”…
Wow 2 Pennsylvania cases in 3/4 days.. I'm shocked and actually forgot about this one until you posted this. This happened the year my 1st born son was born. Great coverage Eleanor as usual.
This case is wild! Been hoping you’d talk about it. There’s also the Netflix documentary that came out a few years ago called Evil Genius that’s good too that I think most will remember.
I am very confused by what Brian said when the police were questioning who had done this to him, he said “three black men” And that’s it… am I the only one really confused by this?
Brian was obviously in on the plot. Before the bomb started ticking, he thought it was still a fake. So, when police were questioning him about who did this to him, he’s not going to give detailed descriptions about his three accomplices. Instead, he used the classic lie: it was a black guy/ it was a group of black guys. Easy way to get the police immediately off your trail and onto a vague any-black-person witch hunt. I’m sorry he got murdered but he’s shitty regardless for that lie. Black people get enough bullshit from the police without him adding more to the pile.
As someone from the Erie area, who has followed this case since I watched Brian die live on TV, I just wanted to say that you covered this so well! Best RUclipsr video I've seen about this case! If anyone wants more info, I highly recommend the book "Pizza Bomber: The Untold Story of America's Most Shocking Bank Robbery" co-written by the lead FBI investigator and the main journalist that covered the case for the local newspaper. It's incredibly detailed, yet a really fun read. For any lover of true crime books, or just people from the Erie/NWPA, I can't recommend it enough. There's also the docuseries Evil Genius in Netflix that's really good. Well done, Eleanor! Fantasticly researched and presented video. As always! Also, I've always thought Brian was involved. I'm not sure if he discovered that the collar bomb was real when it started beeping or if he learned about it after he delivered the pizza since there appeared to be a struggle at the scene.
my law teacher is family friends with the lead detective of the case, Jerry Clark. our class got to do a call with him, and he told us a story about how he was driving Majorie and her attorney when she asked to stop at wendy’s. they went thru the drive thru and marjorie asked for a burger. jerry parked in the parking lot and let marjorie eat, and he told us that she started ripping the burger into pieces and made a pile of it, then she picked up the pieces and ate them one by one. so weird lol
Some people (including myself) can act insanely calm is situations like this because we distract ourselves in our heads or try to think about anything else. But all of that goes out the window when something you can’t control happens. Like a bomb starting to beep
I also live in Erie this happened when I was 23 and was working across the street from eyeglass world.. all the employees were outside and we saw the bomb go off.. it was sooo tragic.. also Mr Rothstein wa my wood shop teacher in high school and he was definitely psychotic.. thanks for covering the story ❤
@@golddustwoman4993 u ever just meet someone and get bad vibes? When I had him for shop he was very intense.. didn’t smile.. always had the same “uniform” daily and was abrupt.. then entire class was stressful cuz u knew he was a person not to piss off
Thanks for covering this one was at my college and our journalism prof was actually first reporting on scene. It deeply impacted him and still does to this day. Erie is quite a place and I'm curious to see what you have to say on this case💚
I wasn’t sure if this was the case I knew of until I saw the pictures of him sitting outside with the device on. I’ve heard of so many cases like many other people here probably have and this one and all the people and moving parts involved has always stuck with me as one of the craziest. Just the shock value alone in knowing this poor man waited to die and nothing could be done.
Watching the entire case on Netflix made my head spin 4 times over because it was all over the place like the fact that Marjorie really wanted to cut Brian out of the deal and really tricked him into trusting her with that collar around his neck thinking it was fake is beyond me. He seemed so calm and confident when he got inside that first bank thinking it was gonna be so easy to get through this “scavenger hunt”.
I grew up in Erie PA from 1999-2007!! Such a sweet little town..besides this.. wow! I rember this going down and it was crazy! I think they closed our schools for a bit. Very cool story..scary..sad.. :( so good to see you Eleanor!
Disregarding everything else, I will say that him being calm while the robbery occurred doesn’t say a lot in itself. It could easily be dissociation/shock - I’ve been in some terrifying, panic-inducing situations and looked to everyone else like I was completely calm and fine because I was just completely detached from what was going on and in survival mode and I only processed what I’d been through later. It would also explain why he got more and more hysterical as time went on.
I remember seeing a documentary of this case bur i was too young to remember what has happened. I do think about it a lost because of that moment where he is sat on the ground surrounded-by police. I’m so glad you did a video on it.
I can't believe that nobody was charged with the murder of brian, even if he was involved. They switched out the bomb for a real bomb and there was nothing he could do about it, I can't see how this isn't murder.
Exactly that's what I thought. They switched out the bomb because they wanted him dead.
I agree
Assisted suicide isn't legal either.. So even if he was in on it and was okay with dying (which it sounds he was not okay with that), they should still be charged for murdering him. If someone asks you to kill them and you do it, it's still considered murder in other cases. I don't see how this one is different.
I was thinking the same. Even if hè was in for the bank stuff. He would still have thought that the bomb was fake and he wouldn’t die. They put a real bomb on him and it killed him. Killing someone is still murder in my eyes
Absolutely. They put a man in a bomb collar and made sure he would never get out of it alive. No matter how you look at it, that's murder.
I’m only 12 minutes in and can say this is one of the craziest cases I’ve ever heard of. This poor man.
@@emmyjacqueline what is it called?
@@merceevalentino3730 evil genius
Don’t feel sorry for him, he was in on it, he said 3 black men did all that too him, we saw the faces of who was responsible, he was in on it 100%
@@itzTeTe exactly idk why some people feel bad, it’s like they never watched the whole video
My thoughts exactly
i remember watching the documentary on netflix about this, i was so shocked and just mind blown about how insane and bizzare this case was. thank you eleanor for another amazing true crime case!
Ha I get it “mind blown”
I watched that one too! It's so disturbing...
This was one of the first documentaries I saw on Netflix.
Evil Genius?
@@Taco.soap.
Yes, that's the title/name of the series.
In another documentary, it was said Brian was developmentally delayed. They took advantage of him and he paid the ultimate price. It’s so sad.
what was the name ?
@@skyejade3856 it was done by Danielle Kirsty. Idk the name of the video. You can probably search for it though.
@@Rebekah_Renders thanks !
You sound like you're talking about him as if he's a victim - he made of had learning difficulties but at that age he'd know robbing a bank at gunpoint is bad. If he was that severely disabled where he didn't understand what he was doing he wouldn't of been as functioning in daily life as he was... He got involved in serious criminal activity and as the saying goes you play stupid games you win stupid prizes.
@@KoboldPip he didn’t know he was supposed to rob a bank until after he had the bomb on his neck. He didn’t sign up for that. Maybe you should watch more documentaries on this.
Poor guy, can't imagine the fear he felt towards the end.
Nah, he was in on it and it back fired, he said 3 black men did all that to him, everyone involved was white.
He was in on it, did u watch the full vid?
@@uuzjr5354 if you actually watch the whole video, it's not clear
@@uuzjr5354 he didn’t know he was going to die tho
@@uuzjr5354 that was discussed in like the last 10 minutes, no I did not see it when i posted the comment. Is that okay? Do you need to arrest me?
One of the things making me question whether Brian was a part of it or not is the fact that he told police that his abductors were "three black men" before he died, if he was truly innocent why would he say that? That through me off completely the entire time while watching this
same! it was clearly what they'd agreed to say back in the planning stages.
@@AMMA83 they wrote in the instructions to say that if he was caught
I was wondering this, thanks for clarifying. We probably won’t know wether Marjorie is lying or not.
maybe they told him to say that and he was scared that they might be watching and would kill him if he ratted them out? idk
That's what I was thinking, but it could be they told him to say that and he thought they would detonate it if he didn't. Who knows?
This is just so sad to poor Brian, pleading for help until it was too late
the police didnt even do anything, i feel bad for him
Literally they we’re just like “bro it’s gonna be ok”
@@563lbs They couldn’t do anything
@@xan8123 yeah, that's true because at the end they couldn't even remove the bomb. It's just really sad
He said it was "3 black men" that strapped the b0mb around his neck. He was absolutely in on it. You know what they say about stupid games and stupid prizes...
Even if he was involved all along, isn't it still murder if they knew thet swapped the fake collar for the real one they knew would kill him??
yeah it would be but cops can’t quite prove that brian didn’t know he was strapping a bomb to his chest. they definitely should’ve gotten charged w something in connection to his death (1deg manslaughter)
Born and raised in Erie. This case was shocking, it's usually a quiet city with not a lot of major crime. I'm shocked that more people haven't covered this, it's truly twisted.
If you are looking for another Erie case, I'd say look into Stephen Treiber. It's very, very, very sad. He was a serial arsonist that eventually murdered his infant daughter. I lived across the street from him, as did my grandparents. And his own parents lived on the other side of my grandparents house. He owned many houses in the neighborhood and was a really bad landlord to the tenants who lived in those houses.
His step daughter, around my sisters age, came over a lot and swam in our pool with her. Anytime he came over to tell her it was time to come home for dinner, he would complain to my parents about his "enemies." when his then wife would come to get the daughter, she would complain about him mistreating her. He was always knocking on neighbors doors claiming he had people coming after him and threatening him and asking us to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Sometimes he claimed his car was broken into, sometimes he claimed he saw shadey people lurking around, etc. He was so weird and tried really hard to make the neighbors believe he was just some poor landlord with disgruntled current tenants and vindictive former tenants and that's why all the houses he owned-including his own parents home-kept catching on fire. About 6 weeks before the fire, he was showing everyone in the neighborhood a photo of a note that was made from magazine letters, the note threatened to burn down his house and kill his dogs (just a year or so earlier, his parents house burned down and all of their dogs died. Very sad, because his father had bred those dogs for generations. They were basically the great great great grand kids of his very first dog.)
My mom was one of the people who called 911, and my grandpa went immediately to his garage to grab some ladders and anything else that might help the family escape before emergency responders arrived. The house next door almost caught fire, and the family that lived in it stayed the night with my grandparents as the fire took hours to be put out.
One thing I will never forget from that night is hearing Treiber tell the firefighters that night that it was just him, his dogs, and his girlfriend. My grandpa and mom immediately shouted to the firefighters that we had all seen him with his daughter earlier and he'd been making a big deal to all the neighbors that this was his last visit w his daughter as his now ex wife had been granted full custody and asking for more child support. When the fire fighters asked him about this, he shrugged and said it was too late, she was probably already dead.
It was horrific. And it could have been worse. He had begged the judge to let all of his kids stay with him that weekend as a big family. He had a few previous kids with other women, and in all cases the mothers all got primary custody. He'd been planning on *all* of his kids burning alive in the fire he started.
In the weeks prior, we'd seen him having a "fire drill" practice where he installed a chain ladder from his bedroom window and him and his new girlfriend practiced evacuating, insisting to neighbors when questioned that he was taking the aforementioned threatening note "seriously." he made sure his dogs and girlfriend would survive but let his toddler burn to death. He was a twisted man who'd left a trail of burning destruction in his wake, he'd burned down many of the homes he owned and rented, not caring about the families who rented from him. He was abusive to all of his partners, yelled at his kids and step kids, just wretched man that's now on death row.
oh my god this is terrible, im sorry you had to experience this happening so close to you.
Eleanor doesn’t need to cover it. You just did!
That poor little girl😢 I can't imagine her horror she felt in her moments leading up to her death. Why do these monsters keep breeding children when they intend to treat them like trash or kill them?
I remember when this happened it was so depressing, I don't live in Erie I'm in Meadville but even down here we heard about it
Oh my god, this is terrible!
I’m about to search about it, even if you explained it very well and your first hand experience is an even better option for telling this story.
i love how amazing she is at storytelling like she can make an hour fly by
damn i didn’t even realise i was watching that long till i read this😭
I have to say even if he was involved out of everyone in the story he seemed the nicest, yet had the worst fate
He was obviously involved but only because he was forced.
@@phenomskllz2502 they mean if he wasn’t forced, if you watched the whole video you would know that he most likely was
@@Lffewgj they don't mean that. Regardless of whether or not he was involved, he was chosen as the bomber because of how easy he was to manipulate. So whether or not he was involved, he still seemed the nicest out of the bunch of absolute wrong'uns involved.
@@Lffewgj how was he not involved or forced? He lied to police and said it was 3 black men that did thay to him remember
@@maritzalevy8586 exactly like that factor alone completely removes any sympathy on my part 100%
Pizza delivery is a terrifying job, but the money for an entry level job makes it so tempting for people who are on hard times. When I was 18-21 I delivered and everything time something weird/scary happened I swore it would be the last time. It took something really terrible happening for me to quit.
I guess my experience makes me feel even more for Brian. I hope he is in a better case and that his mother and cats made it through okay
what happened if you dont mind me asking??
@@callmeifulost I'm curious now too
I'm also curious, if you're comfortable sharing
Not sure if those who commented will see this but a customer attempted to drag me into his house.
Which Tbh would be the dumbest way to commit a crime bc the company knows exactly where I was going. But still scary.
@@rebeccamoore530 oh my god i never hear about this? i was thinking of applying
This case is so crazy, the amount of effort put into this is so crazy. This seems like a film or a movie because wtf, who goes out of their way to create a whole scavenger hunt just for bank robberies?? But then again, that's what makes this case so interesting
I get the distinct impression that the conspirators watched a lot of movies and were trying to make this cinematic. Which is either a genius move or a really dumb one, and I guess they got lucky.
there actually is a movie i watched that's basically just like this. 30 minutes or less
I don't get it, IF what Marjorie said was true (about Bryan being involved the whole time) then why go to all the trouble of writing detailed notes of where to go and everything? Why would Bryan ever WILLINGLY strap a homemade bomb to himself, whether he thought it was fake or not? My theory about why he appeared so calm in the bank is because he knew his abductors weren't too far behind, and he was told to not make a scene or else it would go off. I would imagine he thought he had to be as calm as he could be to at least TRY to make it out of this situation alive. No matter what however, I don't think I could ever truly believe Marjorie's story.
I agree 100% it just doesn’t make sense there was effort to scare him he couldn’t have been involved
I kind of do believe her story to an extent, if you think back to the beginning Bryan said that it was 3 black guys that did this to him - which confused me through-out the case since the only kind of "black guy" involved was their roommate? And the fact that he was just calm in general, the fact that his boss couldn't understand the location and he could, the fact that the bomb wasn't like the one written in the letters and was just planning to go off at a random time - the look of fear in his eyes when it did.
Of course we don't know for sure, but to me personally there's just - something iffy about Bryan being completely innocent.
I would guess the note thing was so it couldnt be traced back to the 3 people and it would just be a one and done thing and it would really make it seem like he was just abducted instead of a planned attack
One of the things I heard was the bomb squad and police were exceptionally slow because "it could be fake" so they didn't want to waste the bomb squads time, as if they have something else to do in this small city.
I have no words. That is so disappointing and sickening.
Not every small city has their own bomb squad. They are assigned for huge areas (also why they needed so long to arrive) so theoretically they could have been on a different case several hours away and the police didn't want to call them over in case this bomb was fake.
Thats so upsetting
@@Mercyfalls Funny how that's not what happened. Quick google search tells you Erie has their own bomb squad and it has been there since 1975. The chances of there being 2 bomb threats in Erie at the same time are slim to none.
Lmao people act like this was a typical situation. The police should have told the bomb to freeze it was under arrest. There’s a biiiiiig difference between a potential bomb and an active ticking bomb that could go off at any second. And I’m no expert, just have common sense which also leads me to know that experts probably have a better understanding of these things than we do.
all of the connections and the way the story went full circle is so satisfying to me
I love seeing how happy Eleanor is through her facial mannerisms. Her bubbly personality shows through so much more lately 💜
It's nice to see someone happy but I'm not sure someone should be so happy and bubbly while talking about death, rape, murder and disasters.
@@KoboldPipi don’t think that’s what they meant, it’s more that she’s letting more of her personality into her videos. It’s not trivialising the topics
Brian cooking for his mom and them enjoying it together made me tear up. My mom is still alive, thank God, but my dad isn't. I visit mom twice a week, she knows what days. Last Thursday she said "see you Sunday ☺️". It actually feels special she is tuned into these days. Sometimes she goes out to buy a special type of Dutch smoked sausage. And she doesn't just do it for herself. She always wants to eat half of it each. You can see she enjoys this little "activity" together.
I can totally Imagine how much it would have meant to Brian and his mom to spend that one day a week together and also how lost mom would have been losing her son now too. Really sad.
I've watched the Netflix documentary and the Buzzfeed Unsolved video about this and I still watched Eleanor's video because I love the way she tells stories.
Hi, what documentary is this?
@@Lavanyajain2007 evil genius
That's so sad hearing how there was no way out of it for Brian. He was marked for death the moment that collar was put on him😔
It's almost as if when you trust a junkie that tells you to put on a "fake" bomb and tells you to rob a bank that something bad may happen to you... even if he had lived the only place he deserves to be is a prison cell ... and those places are overpopulated and expensive anyway.
I live in Erie. I worked in the same plaza that this happened. It was insanity. You did great describing our city and the whole crazy caper. Thank you.
I have recommended this a few times and I'm glad to see you got to it! This happened in my hometown and my dad grew up next door to Bill Rothstein and knew him which is crazy to think about. Thanks for covering it with detail and respect to the victims.
Eleanor, I'm so excited for your new post! Your stories always have so much detail and I love learning from your channel. You're such a hard worker and it definitely shows in your content. Speaking of which, I started my own true crime RUclips channel and it's been going great, thanks in part to the inspiration and guidance you've provided. Can't wait to tune in and learn more. Thank you!
The fact that he lied about who abducted him leads me to believe that he was involved based on this video.
OMG UR RIGHT I FORGOT HE SAID IT WAS 3 BLACK MEN
@@heyjude6680 idk how true is seen another comment saying if he was caught by police that’s what they instructed him to say
yeah but he was told thats what he should say
But he was also so calm with the bomb being on him until he knew for a fact he was going to die. I truly think he was apart of it. It all makes sense. I just don't think he thought he would die.
@@chelseetyler1003 he was developmentally delayed, remember? Also: they scared him so much that he had to follow instructions and not tell who it was or he would die, I am guessing if he told them who he saw doing it, he'd die as a result
I genuinely don't believe he was involved at all, remember he probably was acting calm as he was told to do so & they said he would survive if he did as he asked and didn't waiver... poor guy
i absolutely believe that bryan was involved. no person genuinely fearing for their life could be so calm that they casually eat a lollipop while being told that they cannot meet their hostage taker’s demands.
I’d like to have a lolly knowing I’m gonna die it’s my last chance to have one
im kind of in the middle of that point, because a part of me agrees, but the other part of me thinks that if i knew i was gonna die, i might as well have free candy.
i belive the same i think he was complicit however i dont think he knew about the collar bomb I think that part was a surprise to him
also why would he say it was black guys that abducted him? i think he was involved.
@@patrick_456 if you haven’t seen evil genus on netflix i suggest watching it. it’s a docuseries and it goes into a bit more detail about brian’s role
I remember watching one of the documentaries on this case. What stuck out the most to me was how police handled the bomb situation, and the outcry from his family that they didn't do enough. I feel so bad for his mom, she was a widow and then lost her son. So sad 😢
hmm sounds like he was part of the whole thing sadly.
That's probably why they lean into theory that he was on it as well tbh
@@AMMA83 definitely, he was too calm for most of the heist
His poor mama she didn't deserve that, for him it's debatable but I can understand and I feel so sad for his mom
I appreciate your videos. You take the time to highlight WHO the victim was and not what they actually became to a lot of people. You never relish in the gory details of a case and always give warnings and respect the people being talked about in the case and i appreciate that.
the thing that is so confusing to me about this case is that brian told the police his abductors were “three black men” but in reality nobody involved with this case is black? i understand he was obviously terrified and definitely wasn’t thinking straight but that’s such a strangely specific thing to get mixed up with. idk, it just doesn’t sit right with me.
unless his abductors told him to tell the police that to try and throw them off, but i would’ve thought if that was an instruction for him it would be in the letters they gave him.
They probably told him to say that to lead police the wrong way
That’s always the fall description and unfortunately the Law ALWAYS follow it until they find out it’s a lie
@@leahhayes8256 yep I've seen crimes so often blamed on random black man when the 'victim' is actually covering something up.
Brian was instructed to say that, I'm not sure whether it was in the notes or not but some of the suspects said they instructed him to say that before he went
I go to school in Erie Pennsylvania and remember learning about this case before even arriving here! So happy to hear you talk about something so local!
Born and raised in Erie PA and I vividly recall this happening!! And I also remember this crazy field trip we took to the county jail for criminal justice class and the CO was like "there's Marjorie" absolutely wild. My son's father had Bill as a teacher once in high school and said he was an absolute weirdo.
It's so crazy to recognize everything in this case because it's my home town as well. This case shook Erie very much. I remember my parents watching the news on this and how horrified they looked.
Genuinely in love with this woman. She's amazing! Puts so much time and research into the cast, make great quality content, and is clearly so passionate about what She's talking about. You make every case so interesting and exciting whilst also being respectful to the people involved in the cases. Love it 👏👏👏
This is the case that got me into true crime so many years ago! So excited to see you have covered it
It is so strange to see you cover a case from my hometown that happened at the McDonald's I worked at when I was 16! Thanks for covering this one!
I love several true crime channels, but I never get as truly thrilled as I do when I get an “Eleanor notification”!
This channel will just always and forever be my absolute fave!! ♥️
I’ve actually heard this case on another YT channel, but Eleanor always slays her true crime videos and is so thorough that I still always learn some new facts (even about cases that I am already familiar with). Yes queen! 💅🏼
I love how all throughout the entire beginning you maintain the mystery. And I couldn't harbor a dead frozen body at all. It would eat me alive too.
This is one of those cases that make me really sad. Brian didn’t deserve this.
I remember the Netflix documentary they did on this - they had footage of the moment the bomb detonated (from a distance) and it was absolutely devastating to watch.
I saw Ryan and Shane cover this story and I STILL think about how the heck this all happened. Loved hearing your take on this! I hadn’t seen those photos either, it’s scary to see it rather than just picture it.
i remember watching the buzzfeed unsolved episode on this case, i’m so glad you’re covering it because it’s insanely interesting
My husband is from Erie, and Bill was apparently a substitute science teacher in his high school when he went there. Crazy!
Love you, Eleanor! So excited that you covered a case that is near and dear to me
Seeing the footage of Brian sitting there and the bomb going off was horrifying 😢
He sat there knowing he can’t do anything 😢 he didn’t even go near the cops 💔
@@nooraqueen2716 whether he was in on the robbery or not… it was such a sad and tragic death 😢
@@jadeybaby007 exactly a lot of people where saying he was calm maybe he was exhausted physically from all the things he’s been doing also having this heavy thing around his neck you can tell he was very uncomfortable
it’s so refreshing to be caught up on all your content that you’re just top of my recommended as soon as you post 😭🖤
The Netflix doc about this case is CRAZY. This is one of those cases you find and you just know it’ll NEVER leave you alone. I enjoyed the doc and I’m enjoying this video you’ve put together here. Great job as always and keep it up, we love your stuff. This entire thing is wild.
What’s it called?
What’s it called xx
@@kirstywhale7312 evil genius
So heartbreaking for Brian. He was just trying to do his job and it sucks so bad that the police couldn’t believe him. I understand why, but it’s so unfortunate.
This case was the first time my hometown made national news. People talked about it for weeks! Waiting for the updates in real time was too frustrating, so I tuned it out pretty early. So most of this details is new to me!
I’m actually from Erie Pennsylvania! This case was huge when I was young! I used to drive up and down Peach Street and think about this case and the pictures you shared! So glad you covered this case about my home town… even if you did make it sound eerie lol
Could you do a video on the toy box killer? Ive heard about that case but don't know much about it, you're so good at explaining and helping us understand the cases you cover!❤
I work for a bank and we definitely don’t hold a quarter of a million dollars at any point 😂
obsessed with this woman's vibe
I was obsessed w this case when I found it. I watched a really good documentary on it (Netflix I think???) and it made me go down a rabbit hole. So cool to see you cover it, Eleanor! And happy belated birthday!!! 🎉
Do yk the name?
@@lolitaxxdelena9990 evil genius! Im pretty sure at least
i remember watching a documentary about this a while ago and when the bomb blew up, they didn't cut to footage until you had already seen a bit. it was quite disturbing.
hi eleanor, gotta ask how have you been doing? wqnted to let you know you are honestly the only true crime youtuber that I find the storytelling of interesting! so I just wanted to let you know your'e amazing!
If you would like, you should check out the channel dreading as well, he is always respectful to the victims!
This is such a sad case. All the way around it. Brian had no plan of being killed yet the people who put the bomb around Brian’s neck knowing it was a real bomb.
just wanna say ever since I found Eleanor 6 months ago, I watch her videos every single day to during my self-care relaxation time. her presence calms my ocd/bpd anxiety so much. keep up the good work!!!!
I listen to Eleanor when I’m doing my self care/pamper times as well. It’s so good😊
30 minutes or less is based off this its one of my favorites!!
when i watched the movie at the time i never knew it was based off a true crime! 🤯
this is one of my favourite cases and you always cover them so well❤️
I feel so sorry for that guy because nobody believed him and bomb squad couldn't get in because of the blocked roads
You're by far my favorite true crime creator.. ALWAYS respectful not only to the victims but also to your viewers and their well-being. You're also very consistent and it's obvious you really did your research to the best of your ability. Plus your personality is so down to earth and vibrant! The accent is just a cherry on top lol but seriously, thank you for all your hard work! We all appreciate it! ❤️😊
There’s a saying “if u ever wanna get away with murder do it in Erie” I highly suggest Lila Ebright case and the Gama case both in Erie .. but if u look up my town there’s a dozen or so more for u to cover .. especially for such a small town
Hi. I just wanted to tell you how much you have helped me trough such hard times, I appreciate you so much. Keep on the good work❤️
My family has lived in Erie for years and I still live here. My parents only lived 5 minutes away from that eyeglass place at the time of it. I was only 3 when it happened but it gripped everyone, I think it still does in a sense! Thanks for the video, I love your content ❤️
Ahh yes, my hometown case, the erie pizza bomber. Was wondering when you were going to cover this case lol
I remember watching the news as this was happening. Seeing the panic then the bomb going off. I never knew what the outcome was, as I lived in Utah and the news then was unlike today's ability with social media. (To be as simply said.) So WOW I had NO idea what a crazy web the outcome was. That being said, Thank You for doing this case, and all the cases you do.
I feel so bad for Brian and honestly believe he shouldn’t have been murdered regardless of if he was associated or not.
Although, when I heard about the neck bomb my brain went straight to “well someone’s been watching far too many saw movies”…
Wow 2 Pennsylvania cases in 3/4 days.. I'm shocked and actually forgot about this one until you posted this. This happened the year my 1st born son was born. Great coverage Eleanor as usual.
This case is wild! Been hoping you’d talk about it. There’s also the Netflix documentary that came out a few years ago called Evil Genius that’s good too that I think most will remember.
I am very confused by what Brian said when the police were questioning who had done this to him, he said “three black men”
And that’s it… am I the only one really confused by this?
me too, why is no one else talking about this
Ikkk I feel like it’s such a huge claim to make and no one’s saying anything
Brian was obviously in on the plot. Before the bomb started ticking, he thought it was still a fake. So, when police were questioning him about who did this to him, he’s not going to give detailed descriptions about his three accomplices. Instead, he used the classic lie: it was a black guy/ it was a group of black guys. Easy way to get the police immediately off your trail and onto a vague any-black-person witch hunt. I’m sorry he got murdered but he’s shitty regardless for that lie. Black people get enough bullshit from the police without him adding more to the pile.
Well white people normally blames black men for their own crimes so I’d say he was involved because he pulled that out of his own ass
Yeah that’s why I think he might’ve been involved
As someone from the Erie area, who has followed this case since I watched Brian die live on TV, I just wanted to say that you covered this so well! Best RUclipsr video I've seen about this case!
If anyone wants more info, I highly recommend the book "Pizza Bomber: The Untold Story of America's Most Shocking Bank Robbery" co-written by the lead FBI investigator and the main journalist that covered the case for the local newspaper. It's incredibly detailed, yet a really fun read. For any lover of true crime books, or just people from the Erie/NWPA, I can't recommend it enough. There's also the docuseries Evil Genius in Netflix that's really good.
Well done, Eleanor! Fantasticly researched and presented video. As always!
Also, I've always thought Brian was involved. I'm not sure if he discovered that the collar bomb was real when it started beeping or if he learned about it after he delivered the pizza since there appeared to be a struggle at the scene.
my law teacher is family friends with the lead detective of the case, Jerry Clark. our class got to do a call with him, and he told us a story about how he was driving Majorie and her attorney when she asked to stop at wendy’s. they went thru the drive thru and marjorie asked for a burger. jerry parked in the parking lot and let marjorie eat, and he told us that she started ripping the burger into pieces and made a pile of it, then she picked up the pieces and ate them one by one. so weird lol
Some people (including myself) can act insanely calm is situations like this because we distract ourselves in our heads or try to think about anything else. But all of that goes out the window when something you can’t control happens. Like a bomb starting to beep
this happened in the city i’ve grown up in. my step dad told me he actually heard the bomb go off because he was on peach street that day.
I also live in Erie this happened when I was 23 and was working across the street from eyeglass world.. all the employees were outside and we saw the bomb go off.. it was sooo tragic.. also Mr Rothstein wa my wood shop teacher in high school and he was definitely psychotic.. thanks for covering the story ❤
How was he psychotic?
@@golddustwoman4993 u ever just meet someone and get bad vibes? When I had him for shop he was very intense.. didn’t smile.. always had the same “uniform” daily and was abrupt.. then entire class was stressful cuz u knew he was a person not to piss off
Thanks for covering this one was at my college and our journalism prof was actually first reporting on scene. It deeply impacted him and still does to this day.
Erie is quite a place and I'm curious to see what you have to say on this case💚
Finally! I really was hoping you would do this case!
I remember a then boyfriend showed this case, can't imagine how scary it was must of been for Brian 😓
Its the "It was 3 black men" that got me 😂😂😂
Thank you for continuing to do an amazing job Eleanor! :)
Wow damn seeing a case from from near where I live is crazy
I wasn’t sure if this was the case I knew of until I saw the pictures of him sitting outside with the device on. I’ve heard of so many cases like many other people here probably have and this one and all the people and moving parts involved has always stuck with me as one of the craziest. Just the shock value alone in knowing this poor man waited to die and nothing could be done.
I dont believe even for a second that that man was actually involved and consenting in the robbery.
I watched a documentary on this and they actually showed the video of the bomb going off 😳
Watching the entire case on Netflix made my head spin 4 times over because it was all over the place like the fact that Marjorie really wanted to cut Brian out of the deal and really tricked him into trusting her with that collar around his neck thinking it was fake is beyond me. He seemed so calm and confident when he got inside that first bank thinking it was gonna be so easy to get through this “scavenger hunt”.
I literally watched the Netflix documentary about this case recently lmao
Also love the video!
Honestly what took the bomb squad so fucking long to get there? That's worth an internal investigation, surely
people like this that can just do this unexpectedly is the reason i’m so scared of the world and living 😔
I grew up in Erie PA from 1999-2007!! Such a sweet little town..besides this.. wow! I rember this going down and it was crazy! I think they closed our schools for a bit. Very cool story..scary..sad.. :( so good to see you Eleanor!
Disregarding everything else, I will say that him being calm while the robbery occurred doesn’t say a lot in itself. It could easily be dissociation/shock - I’ve been in some terrifying, panic-inducing situations and looked to everyone else like I was completely calm and fine because I was just completely detached from what was going on and in survival mode and I only processed what I’d been through later. It would also explain why he got more and more hysterical as time went on.
I feel so bad like he wasn’t tryna harm no one
I remember the documentary too! Despite knowing of the case and what happened, the footage of that moment is still shocking 😔
this is so sad. R.I.P. Brian
This one is absolutely crazy. Can't believe there was a murder case within the murder case.
I've lived here all my life. This is the biggest thing to ever happen in Erie. I've met the delivery driver before this too.
I remember seeing a documentary of this case bur i was too young to remember what has happened. I do think about it a lost because of that moment where he is sat on the ground surrounded-by police. I’m so glad you did a video on it.
I’ve been waiting for you to cover this case for YEARS
This actually happened in my home town and man it's still crazy to this day. I think that's the first case I actually got into at such a young age.
Even if he was in on it, can you imagine the amount of fear having a bomb strapped to you would cause?
I noticed the Lapras plushy behind you. I adore it. Where did you get it? Love the video by the way. This case is crazy and unbelievable.