Pitt-Bradford to host agent involved in 'Pizza Bomber' bank robbery case

BRADFORD, PA – The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will host Dr. Jerry Clark, co-author of “Pizza Bomber: The Untold Story of America’s Most Shocking Bank Robbery,” who will present his account of the case, on Sept. 23.

The presentation will take place at 7 p.m. in the Mukaiyama University Room in the Frame-Westerberg Commons. The event is free and open to the public.

Clark, a former FBI, Drug Enforcement Agency and Naval Criminal Investigative Service agent, was the lead investigator in the “Pizza Bomber” (also called the “Collar Bomb”) case in Erie in 2003.

Clark will present his account of the case and describe the details leading to the resolution of the investigation as well as what he thinks motivated the robbers.

The “Pizza Bomber” took place Aug. 28, 2003, when a pizza deliveryman, Brian Wells, robbed a bank with a time bomb locked to his neck. Wells claimed a group of men accosted him and attached the bomb saying he could not get clues to disarm it until he retrieved the money. His time ran out and Wells died in police custody. However, Wells was not the innocent victim, Clark discovered.

Clark is currently an assistant professor of criminal justice at Gannon University in Erie. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, a Master of Arts degree in forensic psychology and a doctorate in public service leadership and criminology.

The event is co-sponsored by the Friends of Hanley Library, the criminal justice program and the Criminal Justice Club.