Mar 8, 2023 3 min read

In January 1956, a B-25 bomber on its way to Harrisburg ditched into the Monongahela River not far from Hazelwood and its whereabouts still remain a mystery.

Four men managed to swim to safety. Two others perished.

Some claim the airplane was on a secret mission and it was quickly removed from the river’s icy waters by the military.

Others say it is still there.

The story is part of many such mysteries or urban legends common in Pittsburgh and have been incorporated into a book, “Hazelwood: A Community Story,” by Ed Bonner of North Strabane Township.

Bonner, an airline mechanic whose last job was with the former U.S. Air, has his own ideas of what happened to the bomber, which he will share when he speaks at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 15, at Citizens Library.

Bonner grew up in Hazelwood and said the mystery of the “Ghost B bomber” was quite a tale in his town with a number of people claiming they saw the bomber taken out of the river late at night and put on a barge.

Among the tales surrounding the doomed flight, which originated in Nevada, was it was flying show girls from Las Vegas to its final destination, Howard Hughes was aboard, or a captured Soviet spy, to name a few.

Bonner’s explanation is in keeping with his mechanic’s knowledge. Another plane he did maintenance on was piloted by Capt. Sully Sullenberger that also ditched into a river, this time the Hudson.

Bonner’s decision to write about where he grew up stemmed from his desire to remain active in retirement. He has already published five books of poetry.

Another urban legend he talks about is the “Green Man,” who was said to frequent a tunnel at night in South Park (although he actually lived in Beaver County). The man, Raymond Robinson, was disfigured as an 8-year-old boy when he accidentally came in contact with an 11,000-volt lightning arrester for a trolley line. As an adult, even though the accident left him blind, he would go outside at night to take a walk in order not to frighten people.

Bonner’s interest has led him also to Calvary Cemetery, where such notable people are buried, including the Biddle Brothers, boxer Billy Conn and actor Frank Gorshin.

Sister Catherine Cesnik, who was murdered in Baltimore, was laid to rest in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Sharpsburg.

Bonner watched the documentary, “The Keepers,” based on her life and tragic death. “I saw the movie and I couldn’t sleep for a month,” he said.

Today he regularly cleans her headstone.