In the autumn of 1991, a tragic event unfolded that would forever mark the community of Ridgewood, New Jersey. Carol Ott, a 30-year-old woman, became a victim of a horrifying act of violence that stemmed from a workplace grievance. On the night of October 9th, a former U.S. postal worker named Joseph M. Harris, who had been fired from his job, embarked on a deadly rampage. Harris, armed with a machine gun, grenades, and a samurai sword, first went to the home Carol shared with her fiancé, Cornelius Kasten Jr., in Wayne, New Jersey, about 10 miles from Ridgewood.
Inside the home, a brutal scene awaited discovery. When Carol failed to report for her job as a supervisor at the Ridgewood post office, concerned colleagues alerted the police. Upon entering the residence, authorities found Carol, who had been stabbed multiple times in the back, seemingly after a struggle.
Her fiancé, Cornelius Kasten Jr., was also found deceased, having been shot once in the head as he sat in a chair in front of the television. The investigation would later reveal that Carol had previously reported to police that Harris had threatened her, though she declined to press charges at the time.
The violence did not end at the Wayne residence. After killing Carol and her fiancé, Harris proceeded to the Ridgewood post office. There, he killed two mail handlers as they arrived for work. His rampage culminated in a four-and-a-half-hour standoff with police, during which he detonated two small explosive devices. Ultimately, Harris surrendered to the authorities.
Joseph M. Harris, who was 35 at the time of the murders, was taken into custody and faced a multitude of charges, including four counts of murder. The motive for his deadly actions appeared to be retaliation for his dismissal from the postal service, a grudge he had harbored against his former supervisor, Carol Ott. The case drew national attention and became a tragic example of workplace violence.
