On January 2, 2000, eighteen-year-old Zebb Quinn finished his shift at Walmart in Ashville, North Carolina and set off to look at a used car with his co-worker, Jason Owens. Halfway to their destination, Zebb told Jason he received an important call on his pager and needed to return the call immediately and they would have to postpone their plans to look at the car. That was the last time anyone saw Zebb Quinn.

For weeks, Zebb’s family and the Ashville police searched for the teenager, but it was as though he had disappeared into thin air. Then, to everyone’s surprise, Zebb’s car was found in a parking lot not far from the hospital where his mother and sister worked, as though someone had left it in a conspicuous place where it would be found. But more surprising than the discovery of the car itself was the incredibly strange and unexpected evidence found inside the vehicle, including several markings on the windows in red lipstick and a live black labrador puppy.

Alexander, Phil. 2000. "Police, family puzzled by Arden teen's disappearance." Asheville Citizen-Times, January 21: 11.

Bever, Lindsey. 2015. "N.C. man charged in murder of Food Network star, her." Washington Post, March 18.

Brevorka, Jennifer. 2004. "Police release tape in case of teen's disappearance four years ago." Asheville Citizen-Times, January 1: 15.

Burgess, Joel. 2022. "Judge accepts plea deal in cold case." Asheville Citizen-Times, July 27: 1.

—. 2022. "Zebb Quinn's killer dead, says Owens." Asheville Citizen-Times, July 22: 1.

DeGrave, Sam. 2018. "Lawyers clash in Zebb Quinn case." Asheville Citizen-Times, March 16: 1.

Forrest, Brett. 2001. "The vanishing." Spin, February 1: 90.

Kepley-Steward, Kristy. 2020. "20 years after the disappearance of Zebb Quinn, still very few answers." WLOS News, January 3.

King, Kimberley. 2022. "Former friend shares about 'pathological liar' Owens ahead of plea deal in Zebb Quinn case." WPDE News, July 22.

Maxwell, Tonya. 2001. "Questions abound in Quinn case." Asheville Citizen-Times, January 2: 9.

Morrison, Clarke. 2005. "Detectives hope re-enactment will jog memories." Asheville Citizen-Times, January 14: 1.

2012. Disappeared. Produced by Peacock Productions. Performed by Peacock Productions.

Tomlin, Robyn. 2000. "A mother pleads: Where is my son?" Ashville Citizen-Times, August 6: 1.

Warren, Sabian. 2012. "Dog a living link to Quinn cold case." Asheville Citizen-Times, April 20: 1.

—. 2015. "Suspect destroyed bodies." Asheville Citizen-Times, March 21: 1.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Weirdos!! We are ABOSOLUTELY thrilled to be announcing that we will be doing a Live Show at Radio City Music Hall on June 27th, 2026! Tickets go on sale on Wednesday March 18th at Noon EST, so be sure to scoop them up while they are still available! We can't wait to see you there!

Click this link to get a reminder from the site that tickets are being sold from!!

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When Stephen Spielberg released his iconic film Jaws in the summer of 1975, he not only kicked off the phenomenon of the summer blockbuster, but also reignited the public’s fascination with and fear of shark attacks. Although based on a book of the same name, that novel was itself heavily influenced on several real-life events from the past, including one particular summer on the Jersey Shore.

In the early twentieth-century, most Americans didn’t think much about sharks or the other potentially dangerous fish and animals that lived in the ocean. In fact, the majority of Americans don’t live in coastal areas and probably didn’t know there were differences between species. That all changed in the summer of 1916, when a loan shark killed four people and critically injured one person in the waters along the Jersey Shore. More than merely accidental bites, the attacks seemed almost intentional, leading to the widespread belief that a man-eater was stalking the waters of the northeastern state.

In the century that has passed since, the Jersey Shore shark attacks have fueled Americans imaginations and nightmares, leading to widely celebrated novels and films about sharks, but also contributing to serious misunderstandings about sharks and their behavior, often with terrible consequences.

References

Asbury Park Press. 1916. "Bathers need have no fear of sharks." Asbury Park Press, July 5: 11.

—. 1916. "Governor urges safeguards such as Asbury Park has." Asbury Park Press, July 13: 1.

—. 1916. "Nets and armed motorboat patrol to protect bathers." Asbury Park Press, July 7: 1.

—. 1916. "Shak driven from city bathing ground." Asbury Park Press, July 8: 1.

Capuzzo, Micahel. 2001. Close to Shore: A True Story of Terror in An Age of Innocence. New York, NY: Broadway Books.

Central New Jersey Home News. 1916. "Man and two boys fall victims to new raid of shark in Matawan Creek." Central New Jersey Home News, July 13: 1.

Florida Museum of Natural History. 2024. Yearly Worldwide Shark Attack Summary. Accessed July 30, 2025. https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/yearly-worldwide-summary/.

Morning Call. 14916. "Swimmer mangled by shark at sea dies in two hours." Morning Call (Paterson, NJ), July 4: 7.

New York Times. 1916. "Human bones found in shark's stomach." New York Times, July 16: 5.

—. 1916. "Many hunt sharks." New York Times, July 9: 3.

—. 1916. "Many see sharks, but all get away." New York Times, July 14: 1.

—. 1916. "Shark guards out at beach resorts." New York Times, July 8: 18.

The Times. 1916. "Creek yields body of boy shark slew." The Times (Trenton, NJ), July 14: 1.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.