Lifelong Firefighter Remembers Helping Foil Airport Safe Theft

When lifetime Martinsburg resident and firefighter Jon Keim read the "50 Years Ago" entry in the June 4, 2020, edition of the Herald, he knew that there was more to the story of the attempted theft of a safe from the Martinsburg airport.

Keim knew there was more to the story because he was there.

Keim, now 85, contacted the Herald and offered to tell the rest of the story of the failed safe theft.

The Herald's 50 Years Ago entry read:

An effort to steal a safe from the Allegheny Air Lines Office failed Saturday night when the burglars were spotted by an alert Federal Aviation Administration man on duty at the Blair County Airport at Martinsburg.

Speaking from his recliner in his living room of his house on Woodlawn Avenue, Keim said that in the early 1960s, the fire company had to change how fire alarms were received. While the town had telephone operators, the operators would route the call of anyone reporting a fire to the on-duty fire chief or assistant chief. But after operators were eliminated, there was no way for the calls to be routed. Thus, chief and assistant chiefs were provided with "fire phones" which would all ring when someone called to report a fire.

As this was pre-9-1-1, the number was 793-2215, Keim said. Because he was an assistant chief, his fire phone rang the night of the Great Airport Safe Theft.

Keim said that the person making the call about safe thieves at the airport knew that he was calling the fire department and not the police, but there were no local police on duty and the caller feared that it would take too long for the state police to arrive.

Keim said that he was picked up by co-assistant chief Dick Hall, who drove to the airport. They drove to the south side of the airport terminal, where they saw two men who had somehow moved the large airport safe onto the airport apron.

"It was too big to fit in a car, so I guess they were going to blow it up right there," Keim said.

He jumped out of the car and began chasing one of the robbers, who ran away. Keim had taken a pistol with him and he was loading it as he ran. The safecracker ran toward State Route 866 and Keim followed him over rough ground.

"Just was I was closing my pistol, I tripped and fell," Keim said. "I was back up in a flash, but he was gone."

The other safe thief had also vanished.

Keim called to other fire personnel who had responded and a search soon located the thief who had run away from Keim.

"He had an 18-inch crowbar, a screwdriver nearly as long and a pistol," Keim said. "I don't recall the caliber."

The man was detained by fire personnel until the Pennsylvania State Police officers showed up.

Keim said that since the second robber had vanished, a search was started for him. The PSP troopers passed out pistols to the firefighters who had been called out to help.

The group began working the woods as if driving a deer, Keim said. They worked for several hours but never found the second robber.

Keim accompanied the robber he chased into the airport building, where the man claimed that he had to go to the bathroom. Keim stood guard while he did so and found that the man had tried to flush a handful of pistol ammunition down the toilet.

"It didn't go," Keim said.

Keim said that troopers found a variety of burglary tools and dynamite in the car of the safe thieves.

"I don't think they were playing around," Keim said. "I think they were professionals.

Editor's Note: A video of Jon Keim telling the story of foiling the Great Airport Safe Theft can be found at the Herald's website at http://www.mcheraldonline.com. Navigate to the Herald's website and search for "1963 Airport Robbery."

If you've got something to add to this local tale of adventure, please contact the Herald at 113 N. Market St., Martinsburg 16662 or [email protected].