Joseph Harris

Mass Murderer

Joseph M. Harris Mass Murder – October 10, 1991

Background

Joseph M. Harris, a former U.S. postal worker from New Jersey, was fired in April 1990 after his supervisor, Carol Ott, reported harassment and threats. He harbored intense resentment toward her and the Postal Service, began stockpiling weapons and explosives, and invested with a broker whom he blamed for a loss of approximately $10,000.

The Montville Incident (Uncovered Post-October 1991)

In November 1988, Harris—in a black ninja costume—broke into the home of Roy Edwards in Montville, New Jersey. There, he handcuffed the family, sexually assaulted the wife and two daughters, and shot Edwards to death. This crime was not initially linked to Harris until after the Ridgewood attack.

The October 1991 Killing Spree

On October 9–10, 1991, Harris launched a deadly rampage:

• Night of October 9: At the home of his former supervisor, Carol Ott, in Wayne, New Jersey, he stabbed and killed her with a three-foot samurai sword. He also shot her fiancé, Cornelius Kasten Jr., fatally.
• Early morning of October 10: Dressed in a black ninja costume, bullet-proof vest, gas mask, and combat fatigues—and armed with an Uzi, a .22-caliber machine gun, grenades, homemade bombs, and a samurai sword—he entered the Ridgewood, New Jersey post office.
• At the post office, he shot and killed two mail handlers as they arrived for work:
• Joseph VanderPaauw, age 59, of Prospect Park.
• Donald McNaught, age 63, of Pompton Lakes.
Police discovered their bodies in a first-floor ladies’ room after a 4½-hour standoff. Harris surrendered just before 7 a.m.
• In addition, police found a bomb wired to the door of Harris’s apartment and a note describing some of his plans.

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Confirmed Victims: (4)

Cornelius Kasten Jr. 36 yr old Male

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A former postal worker commits mass murder | October 10

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