Nightmare in Chowchilla: The School Bus Kidnapping en 2022 Fox News Network, LLC It was one the largest abductions in U.S. history.  On July 15, 1976, a school bus carrying 26 schoolchildren ages 5 to 14 and their driver vanished without a trace in the tiny farming community of Chowchilla, California. As a frantic search for them began, the young, terrified hostages and their 55-year-old bus driver found themselves trapped in a scene that seemed like something straight out of a horror movie. Their unlikely captors, three directionless young men from affluent families, planned the kidnapping for more than 18 months in the hopes of getting “easy money.” In “Nightmare in Chowchilla,” we untangle a controversy that has dogged this case for decades: Who was the real hero in the Chowchilla kidnapping? The bus driver who received all the acclaim in the days following their escape, or a 14-year-old boy who hatched a plan that ultimately saved the lives of 27 people.  Senior correspondent Claudia Cowan travels throughout California to get firsthand accounts from the people who lived through this horrendous crime, including several of the survivors and their parents, the sheriff who feverishly looked for the abductors, a TV news producer who covered the story and a prosecutor who has worked on the case.  And in our podcast exclusives, we reunite two survivors who haven’t seen each other since that fateful day as well as reveal a message from one of the captors.  https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/ac538442-902e-11ec-b6d9-dbf43943f5bc/image/Nightmare_in_Chowchilla_COVER.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress Nightmare in Chowchilla: The School Bus Kidnapping serial Fox News Investigative It was one the largest abductions in U.S. history.  On July 15, 1976, a school bus carrying 26 schoolchildren ages 5 to 14 and their driver vanished without a trace in the tiny farming community of Chowchilla, California. As a frantic search for them began, the young, terrified hostages and their 55-year-old bus driver found themselves trapped in a scene that seemed like something straight out of a horror movie. Their unlikely captors, three directionless young men from affluent families, planned the kidnapping for more than 18 months in the hopes of getting “easy money.” In “Nightmare in Chowchilla,” we untangle a controversy that has dogged this case for decades: Who was the real hero in the Chowchilla kidnapping? The bus driver who received all the acclaim in the days following their escape, or a 14-year-old boy who hatched a plan that ultimately saved the lives of 27 people.  Senior correspondent Claudia Cowan travels throughout California to get firsthand accounts from the people who lived through this horrendous crime, including several of the survivors and their parents, the sheriff who feverishly looked for the abductors, a TV news producer who covered the story and a prosecutor who has worked on the case.  And in our podcast exclusives, we reunite two survivors who haven’t seen each other since that fateful day as well as reveal a message from one of the captors.  It was one the largest abductions in U.S. history. 


On July 15, 1976, a school bus carrying 26 schoolchildren ages 5 to 14 and their driver vanished without a trace in the tiny farming community of Chowchilla, California. As a frantic search for them began, the young, terrified hostages and their 55-year-old bus driver found themselves trapped in a scene that seemed like something straight out of a horror movie.


Their unlikely captors, three directionless young men from affluent families, planned the kidnapping for more than 18 months in the hopes of getting “easy money.”


In “Nightmare in Chowchilla,” we untangle a controversy that has dogged this case for decades: Who was the real hero in the Chowchilla kidnapping? The bus driver who received all the acclaim in the days following their escape, or a 14-year-old boy who hatched a plan that ultimately saved the lives of 27 people. 


Senior correspondent Claudia Cowan travels throughout California to get firsthand accounts from the people who lived through this horrendous crime, including several of the survivors and their parents, the sheriff who feverishly looked for the abductors, a TV news producer who covered the story and a prosecutor who has worked on the case.  And in our podcast exclusives, we reunite two survivors who haven’t seen each other since that fateful day as well as reveal a message from one of the captors. 

]]> Fox News Podcasts podcasts@fox.com Bonus: Fred Woods After more than four decades behind bars, Fred Woods, the ringleader of the Chowchilla school bus kidnapping is released from prison. In this bonus episode,  survivors share what his release means to them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Mon, 10 Oct 2022 16:56:33 -0000 AT BE BG HR CY CZ DK EE FI FR DE GR HU IE IT LV LT LU MT NL PL PT RO SK SI ES SE GB CN RU BR NK IR CU VE SY bonus 1 7 Fox News Investigative After more than four decades behind bars, Fred Woods, the ringleader of the Chowchilla school bus kidnapping is released from prison. In this bonus episode,  survivors share what his release means to them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices After more than four decades behind bars, Fred Woods, the ringleader of the Chowchilla school bus kidnapping is released from prison. In this bonus episode,  survivors share what his release means to them.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

]]> 1065 Taken - Ep. 1 The rural town of Chowchilla, California is shaken to its core when a school bus carrying 26 children and their beloved driver disappears.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Sat, 26 Feb 2022 05:12:00 -0000 AT BE BG HR CY CZ DK EE FI FR DE GR HU IE IT LV LT LU MT NL PL PT RO SK SI ES SE GB CN RU BR NK IR CU VE SY full 1 1 Fox News Investigative The rural town of Chowchilla, California is shaken to its core when a school bus carrying 26 children and their beloved driver disappears.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices The rural town of Chowchilla, California is shaken to its core when a school bus carrying 26 children and their beloved driver disappears. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

]]> 1754 Where are the Children? - Ep. 2 A significant clue is found that should lead straight to the children, but instead goes nowhere. Small town Chowchilla becomes international news as parents and law enforcement launch a frantic search.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Sat, 26 Feb 2022 05:10:00 -0000 AT BE BG HR CY CZ DK EE FI FR DE GR HU IE IT LV LT LU MT NL PL PT RO SK SI ES SE GB CN RU BR NK IR CU VE SY full 1 2 Fox News Investigative A significant clue is found that should lead straight to the children, but instead goes nowhere. Small town Chowchilla becomes international news as parents and law enforcement launch a frantic search.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices A significant clue is found that should lead straight to the children, but instead goes nowhere. Small town Chowchilla becomes international news as parents and law enforcement launch a frantic search. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

]]> 1450 Buried Alive - Ep. 3 The children and bus driver are hidden underground. Will they be found or make it out alive? Hostages recall their 30 hours of terror. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Sat, 26 Feb 2022 05:08:00 -0000 AT BE BG HR CY CZ DK EE FI FR DE GR HU IE IT LV LT LU MT NL PL PT RO SK SI ES SE GB CN RU BR NK IR CU VE SY full 1 3 Fox News Investigative The children and bus driver are hidden underground. Will they be found or make it out alive? Hostages recall their 30 hours of terror. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices The children and bus driver are hidden underground. Will they be found or make it out alive? Hostages recall their 30 hours of terror.

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]]> 2145 The Kidnappers - Ep. 4 The kidnappers spent more than 18 months planning the abduction. Who would carry out such a heinous crime on innocent school children? And were they inspired by a popular movie? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Sat, 26 Feb 2022 05:06:00 -0000 AT BE BG HR CY CZ DK EE FI FR DE GR HU IE IT LV LT LU MT NL PL PT RO SK SI ES SE GB CN RU BR NK IR CU VE SY full 1 4 Fox News Investigative The kidnappers spent more than 18 months planning the abduction. Who would carry out such a heinous crime on innocent school children? And were they inspired by a popular movie? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices The kidnappers spent more than 18 months planning the abduction. Who would carry out such a heinous crime on innocent school children? And were they inspired by a popular movie?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

]]> 1756 "Hope Beyond Pain" - Ep. 5 Decades after their terrifying ordeal, the event still haunts the survivors. They share their struggles as well as their victories in the years that followed.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Sat, 26 Feb 2022 05:04:00 -0000 AT BE BG HR CY CZ DK EE FI FR DE GR HU IE IT LV LT LU MT NL PL PT RO SK SI ES SE GB CN RU BR NK IR CU VE SY full 1 5 Fox News Investigative Decades after their terrifying ordeal, the event still haunts the survivors. They share their struggles as well as their victories in the years that followed.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Decades after their terrifying ordeal, the event still haunts the survivors. They share their struggles as well as their victories in the years that followed. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

]]> 1775 A Reunion - Ep. 6 Two survivors come together for a powerful reunion after four decades apart and another hero emerges.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Sat, 26 Feb 2022 05:02:00 -0000 AT BE BG HR CY CZ DK EE FI FR DE GR HU IE IT LV LT LU MT NL PL PT RO SK SI ES SE GB CN RU BR NK IR CU VE SY full 1 6 Fox News Investigative Two survivors come together for a powerful reunion after four decades apart and another hero emerges.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Two survivors come together for a powerful reunion after four decades apart and another hero emerges. 

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]]> 1897 Nightmare in Chowchilla Trailer http://foxnewspodcasts.com/ It was one the largest abductions in U.S. history.  On July 15, 1976, a school bus carrying 26 schoolchildren ages 5 to 14 and their driver vanished without a trace in the tiny farming community of Chowchilla, California. As a frantic search for them began, the young, terrified hostages and their 55-year-old bus driver found themselves trapped in a scene that seemed like something straight out of a horror movie. Their unlikely captors, three directionless young men from affluent families, planned the kidnapping for more than 18 months in the hopes of getting “easy money.” In “Nightmare in Chowchilla,” we untangle a controversy that has dogged this case for decades: Who was the real hero in the Chowchilla kidnapping? The bus driver who received all the acclaim in the days following their escape, or a 14-year-old boy who hatched a plan that ultimately saved the lives of 27 people.  Senior correspondent Claudia Cowan travels throughout California to get firsthand accounts from the people who lived through this horrendous crime, including several of the survivors and their parents, the sheriff who feverishly looked for the abductors, a TV news producer who covered the story and a prosecutor who has worked on the case.  And in our podcast exclusives, we reunite two survivors who haven’t seen each other since that fateful day as well as reveal a message from one of the captors.  Episode 1 Taken The rural town of Chowchilla, California is shaken to its core when a school bus carrying 26 children and their beloved driver disappears.  Episode 2 Where are the Children? A significant clue is found that should lead straight to the children, but instead goes nowhere. Small town Chowchilla becomes international news as parents and law enforcement launch a frantic search.  Episode 3 Buried Alive The children and bus driver are hidden underground. Will they be found or make it out alive? Hostages recall their 30 hours of terror. Episode 4 The Kidnappers The kidnappers spent more than 18 months planning the abduction. Who would carry out such a heinous crime on innocent school children? And were they inspired by a popular movie? Episode 5 ‘Hope Beyond Pain’ Decades after their terrifying ordeal, the event still haunts the survivors. They share their struggles as well as their victories in the years that followed.  Episode 6 A Reunion  Two survivors come together for a powerful reunion after four decades apart and another hero emerges.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Thu, 17 Feb 2022 21:18:00 -0000 AT BE BG HR CY CZ DK EE FI FR DE GR HU IE IT LV LT LU MT NL PL PT RO SK SI ES SE GB CN RU BR NK IR CU VE SY trailer 1 Fox News Investigative It was one the largest abductions in U.S. history.  On July 15, 1976, a school bus carrying 26 schoolchildren ages 5 to 14 and their driver vanished without a trace in the tiny farming community of Chowchilla, California. As a frantic search for them began, the young, terrified hostages and their 55-year-old bus driver found themselves trapped in a scene that seemed like something straight out of a horror movie. Their unlikely captors, three directionless young men from affluent families, planned the kidnapping for more than 18 months in the hopes of getting “easy money.” In “Nightmare in Chowchilla,” we untangle a controversy that has dogged this case for decades: Who was the real hero in the Chowchilla kidnapping? The bus driver who received all the acclaim in the days following their escape, or a 14-year-old boy who hatched a plan that ultimately saved the lives of 27 people.  Senior correspondent Claudia Cowan travels throughout California to get firsthand accounts from the people who lived through this horrendous crime, including several of the survivors and their parents, the sheriff who feverishly looked for the abductors, a TV news producer who covered the story and a prosecutor who has worked on the case.  And in our podcast exclusives, we reunite two survivors who haven’t seen each other since that fateful day as well as reveal a message from one of the captors.  Episode 1 Taken The rural town of Chowchilla, California is shaken to its core when a school bus carrying 26 children and their beloved driver disappears.  Episode 2 Where are the Children? A significant clue is found that should lead straight to the children, but instead goes nowhere. Small town Chowchilla becomes international news as parents and law enforcement launch a frantic search.  Episode 3 Buried Alive The children and bus driver are hidden underground. Will they be found or make it out alive? Hostages recall their 30 hours of terror. Episode 4 The Kidnappers The kidnappers spent more than 18 months planning the abduction. Who would carry out such a heinous crime on innocent school children? And were they inspired by a popular movie? Episode 5 ‘Hope Beyond Pain’ Decades after their terrifying ordeal, the event still haunts the survivors. They share their struggles as well as their victories in the years that followed.  Episode 6 A Reunion  Two survivors come together for a powerful reunion after four decades apart and another hero emerges.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices It was one the largest abductions in U.S. history. 


On July 15, 1976, a school bus carrying 26 schoolchildren ages 5 to 14 and their driver vanished without a trace in the tiny farming community of Chowchilla, California. As a frantic search for them began, the young, terrified hostages and their 55-year-old bus driver found themselves trapped in a scene that seemed like something straight out of a horror movie.


Their unlikely captors, three directionless young men from affluent families, planned the kidnapping for more than 18 months in the hopes of getting “easy money.”


In “Nightmare in Chowchilla,” we untangle a controversy that has dogged this case for decades: Who was the real hero in the Chowchilla kidnapping? The bus driver who received all the acclaim in the days following their escape, or a 14-year-old boy who hatched a plan that ultimately saved the lives of 27 people. 


Senior correspondent Claudia Cowan travels throughout California to get firsthand accounts from the people who lived through this horrendous crime, including several of the survivors and their parents, the sheriff who feverishly looked for the abductors, a TV news producer who covered the story and a prosecutor who has worked on the case.  And in our podcast exclusives, we reunite two survivors who haven’t seen each other since that fateful day as well as reveal a message from one of the captors. 


Episode 1 Taken

The rural town of Chowchilla, California is shaken to its core when a school bus carrying 26 children and their beloved driver disappears. 

Episode 2 Where are the Children?

A significant clue is found that should lead straight to the children, but instead goes nowhere. Small town Chowchilla becomes international news as parents and law enforcement launch a frantic search. 

Episode 3 Buried Alive

The children and bus driver are hidden underground. Will they be found or make it out alive? Hostages recall their 30 hours of terror.

Episode 4 The Kidnappers

The kidnappers spent more than 18 months planning the abduction. Who would carry out such a heinous crime on innocent school children? And were they inspired by a popular movie?

Episode 5 ‘Hope Beyond Pain’

Decades after their terrifying ordeal, the event still haunts the survivors. They share their struggles as well as their victories in the years that followed. 

Episode 6 A Reunion 

Two survivors come together for a powerful reunion after four decades apart and another hero emerges. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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