AI Summary
5 min readOn a foggy morning in April 1999, two Oregon state park rangers began routine maintenance at Oswald West State Park, a popular spot for hiking and beaches along the Pacific Coast. What started as shoveling rock and cleaning a restroom turned into a sudden armed confrontation, leaving one ranger dead and the other critically wounded. The episode recounts the attack, the assailant's capture, and the survivor's account, drawing from news reports and an interview with survivor Jack Kerwin.
The Ambush and Shooting
Shortly after 7 a.m. on April 27, Jack Kerwin and Danny Blumenthal, both experienced rangers, arrived at the campground area. While Jack leveled campsites, Danny headed 150 yards away to the restroom. Moments later, Jack saw a man in a rain suit marching Danny out at gunpoint. The assailant turned the handgun on Jack, zip-tied their wrists together, frisked them for wallets and keys, and tested Danny's truck key.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:59) **Park Intro** - Host Delia introduces Oswald West State Park and teases 1999 ranger attack
- 2 (03:36) **Morning Routine Turns Deadly** - Rangers Jack Kerwin and Danny Blumenthal start maintenance work
- 3 (04:24) **Armed Assailant Emerges** - Man with handgun marches Danny from restroom, forces both into shed
- 4 (05:22) **March into Woods** - Suspect herds rangers across highway up Cape Falcon trail
- 5 (06:27) **Shootings on Trail** - Gunshots kill Danny; Jack shot twice in head but plays dead
- 6 (07:23) **Jack Escapes** - Zip tie loosens; Jack leaves Danny's body, reaches highway
- 7 (08:23) **Immediate Response** - Jack airlifted to Portland hospital; Danny's body found
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Two park rangers in Oregon are kidnapped and marched down a rugged trail along the Pacific coast. One survived and the other didn’t. The hunt for their attacker leads authorities down one man’s disturbing path of murder, kidnapping, and robbery dating back decades.
View source material and photos for this episode at: parkpredators.com/the-routine
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