New Jersey: Christopher Thomas
Photo: Daily Record
Rockaway Township is located in Morris County, New Jersey. The township is known for its natural beauty, including various parks, lakes, and the rugged terrain of the New Jersey Highlands. The area was initially settled in the 18th century and had a rich history connected to iron mining and production. The Rockaway Townsquare Mall is a significant commercial hub in the area, providing a wide range of shopping and dining options. The Rockaway Townsquare Mall opened on March 10, 1977. We will be talking a lot about this mall throughout today's episode.
Photo: Rockway Township.org
Rockaway Township is characterized by its blend of suburban living, natural beauty, and historical significance, making it a desirable place to live and visit in Morris County, New Jersey. Last week, the city you covered was pretty high on the safety ranking; however, I have that case beat this week. Rockaway Township is rated at 88 out of 100, with zero violent crimes and 2.58 property crimes, which is crazy low since the rest of New Jersey is rated at 14. This seems super low, and I am surprised. This is like a unicorn I never thought we would find. However, in 1982, this area saw a string of crimes that baffled authorities. Morris County prosecutor's office stated that in 1982, their area went down in history as a year considered a nightmare of crime. That was why
Photo: Daily Record
Christopher H. Thomas was born to Regina and Ralph Thomas; he had two brothers and was a Morris Catholic High School junior. He was not your normal 16-year-old boy. He did very well in school. Some say he was gifted, while others say he was such a hard worker, which is how he maintained his amazing academic record. Either way, he was an excellent student, but that’s not all. He was also an athlete. He played varsity basketball, soccer, and baseball. His coach said he wouldn't be going D1 or making it to the NBA, but his heart showed on the court. He stood six foot two inches tall when he was a sophomore in high school. His brother said. "He would knock you down to put the ball in the hoop and then help you up after,"
On October 1st, 1982, all his accolades did not help save his life because, on that night, his life ended.
Chris and his girlfriend were out with her brother when she wanted to stop by the mall. There were several reports on why they went to the mall, but it seemed like they would watch a movie at the theater inside the mall and get an anniversary gift for Christoher’s parents. It was the spur-of-the-moment thing, so no one should have known the couple would have been there at that exact time. The couple were walking into the mall entrance right after they were dropped off when a man leaning up against a wall was what the locals and workers of the mall deemed as where the young teens hung out. They used the words mall rats in the newspaper, which I found unusual. So this man walks towards the couple, shoves the girlfriend aside, gets about two to three feet away from Christopher, pulls out a 22 caliber pistol, and shoots Christopher in the chest before he walks quickly away. No words were exchanged between the two at all. There were dozens of witnesses. This was a busy time at the mall, just after 9 pm on Friday night. So many teenagers were hanging out, chatting about their long week at school, enjoying their freedom. The sheriff would say later that the mall was a popular spot; that was what kids did back then for fun. They went to the mall, movies, roller skating, and that type of thing.
Witnesses reported that the man who shot Christopher was about 20- 25 years old and had a thin build, a slight dark mustache, and shoulder-length dark hair that was parted in the middle. We will put the composite sketch on our social media however remember this was 1982 a very long time ago so i am sure his looks changed and most likely change significantly right after his shooting Christopher. Witnesses also stated this man wore a blue coat and mirrored glasses. They do believe the long hair may have been a wig because witnesses said that as this man was rushing away, he was holding the side of his head as if holding the wig on as he was walking quickly. He also walked with a slight lip and a noticeable gait. They also believe this man might have been wearing makeup consistent with the "Rocky Horror Picture Show," scheduled for a late screening at the theater that night.
Christopher was rushed to Dover Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead 30 minutes later. This 16-year-old who worked so hard and had his whole life ahead of him had been murdered with tons of witnesses, but the killer got away anyway.
Witnesses would have conflicting stories about if anyone chased the shooter, one story was a few teenagers took off after him then another one said this wasnt true. The fact there was a report that the shooter ran in a certain direction. He was running south and down a knoll near the lower entrance to JCPenney. Witnesses later saw him running across a western parking lot toward some pine trees. In case you didnt know what a knoll was, I’m gonna be honest I didnt know. It is a small, rounded hill or mound. It is typically less prominent and smaller than a hill or mountain and is often found in landscapes with gentle, rolling terrain. There were reports that there was a retention pond over that way, so in the following days, authorities drained it to search for the possible murder weapon, and they came up empty-handed.
There have been a few theories over the years, considering the girlfriend said she didnt know the man that shot her boyfriend; Chris wasn’t involved in any risky behavior, and didnt have any enemies. This looked like either a random killing or a case of mistaken identity. One theory that seems probable was some gang initiation where the new recruit had to kill someone in front of a lot of witnesses. Another lead police looked into was all the way in Iowa falls Iowa. This was 1100 miles away, but when authorities received a tip, they followed it. This was about a man who bragged about killing a boy in New Jersey. This man's sister was in a motorcycle gang, thus pointing to the theory about a gang. After following this lead, they realized this man was in jail during the time of Christopher’s murder.
On the 40th anniversary of Christopher’s murder his brother held a media conference and stated, “I truly believe n my heart that there is someone, somewhere, with additional information about those events, And all I can ask is that person would come forward with that information.” "I don't think you ever come to terms with it," he said. "The things that were taken from my family are never replaceable. All the birthdays, all the kids playing together, grandkids, and things we missed that never happened."
Other theories had to do with cults and serial killers, considering there were more murders in 1982 than in most other years in history. The case file was sent to the FBI forensic laboratory in Washington, DC, but they couldn’t even come up with any leads or motives. This type of thing didnt usually happen in this area; however, in 1982, things were definitely out of the ordinary. Eight murders: Judy Brown was killed with a shotgun in his car, Amie Hoffman and Deirdre O'Brian were killed by a serial killer, James Wescoe was found murdered at the Madison train station, plus others that had been solved and I couldn't fit find information on. For an area that typically has zero murders, this is absolutely crazy.
Another issue I ran into when researching was the fact that there was Christopher Thomas, who killed 10 people in New York and was starting his trial around this same time. So, when searching for the very common name of Christopher Thomas, I kept getting articles about this vile human being who took the lives of many.
Christopher’s parents died without ever knowing who killed their child. His brother stated in that interview that he might not have spoken publically if they were still alive because of how difficult it was for them to hear or talk about Christopher. He stated in that interview, "But given they are passed, I told the prosecutor, 'I've been upset for 40 years. Nothing is going to upset me. But if we can shake the tree hard one more time and something falls out, that's fantastic.”
Within a few months of Christopher’s murder, his family set up a memorial scholarship in his name. Since Christopher would not be attending college, his family wanted to do something in his name that would help others—something that Chris was all about. This scholarship was for a well-rounded academic and athletic student who might not be able to attend college without help.
Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll has announced a reward of up to $50,000 for material information leading to an arrest and conviction. You can call the Morris County Crimestoppers at 973-COP-CALL or visit them online at COPCALL.ORG.
