Unveiling a Breakthrough: Investigative Writer Unravels Untold Secrets of Ocean City Cold Case

The mysterious murder of New Jersey’s Fudge King has captivated writer Tom Donaghy for years. In a captivating and unique true-crime account featured in Atavist Magazine, he dives into the twisted story. As a young child, Donaghy frequently visited the Copper Kettle, a famous fudge shop that dominated the competition. The shop’s founder, Harry Anglemyer, was a beloved figure in the community and his remarkable confections brought great wealth to him. Despite facing discrimination and sodomy laws, Anglemyer openly lived as a gay man, which only added to his notoriety. However, trouble arose when Anglemyer decided to challenge the town’s strict blue laws that prohibited businesses from operating on Sundays, a major inconvenience for tourist-dependent businesses in a beach town.

The situation escalated after a 1963 referendum supported by Anglemyer resulted in a relaxation of the blue laws. Shortly after the vote, Anglemyer was arrested for “carnal indecency” and faced attacks and robberies over the next year. Tragically, at the end of the 1964 summer season, Anglemyer was discovered dead outside a nightclub, murdered in his Lincoln Continental. Despite a trial that led to the acquittal of one suspect, the case remained unsolved for decades. Determined to uncover the truth, Donaghy returned to the Jersey Shore to interview locals, who warned him about the tight-knit community. Eventually, he gained access to the case files and delved deeper into the local politics, police force, club scene, and a group of scam artists who targeted gay men. The story is complex and intertwined, but Donaghy’s investigation points to a new suspect (who passed away in 2004) and offers hope for justice to be served. Read the full story here. (Or explore other longforms.)