If you’re interested in morbid history, this one may be for you. (Spoiler alert, I am).
OJ Simpson passed away today, and across the internet he’s being remembered as a talented NFL running back and Heisman trophy winner.
Just kidding, everybody’s just joking about him getting away with a double murder.
I was only five years old at the time of the infamous police chase, but I still remember seeing the video of that white Ford Bronco driving down the interstate after OJ was charged for the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and Ron Goldman.
Of course everybody knows how the “trial of the century” ended, with OJ being acquitted of the murder after the infamous glove didn’t fit.
But aside from the glove, the only thing more closely associated with the OJ murder trial is that white Ford Bronco.
The Bronco actually belonged to Simpson’s former teammate and close friend Al Cowlings, who was driving the vehicle as Simpson reportedly sat in the back seat with a gun to his head. Police called Simpson during the low-speed chase and begged him to turn himself in, and even sports broadcasters on the local radio stations pleaded with OJ knowing that he was tuned in from the Bronco.
Spectators lined the streets of Los Angeles to cheer OJ on, and an estimated 95 million people nationwide watched the chase on TV as networks cut into their broadcasts – including the NBA Finals – to showcase the surreal scene.
The chase eventually ended when OJ agreed to surrender after speaking to his mother. The Bronco pulled into the driveway of his estate, and Simpson remained inside for 45 minutes before getting out and entering the home. And after spending some time with his mother (and, reportedly, having a glass of orange juice), Simpson eventually peacefully surrendered to police.
So we all know what happened to OJ after the chase – but what happened to the Bronco?
Well the vehicle was eventually purchased from Cowlings by Simpson’s former agent Mike Gilbert – who at one point tried to sell the 1992 Bronco to Rick Harrison’s Gold & Silver Pawn Shop on an episode of Pawn Stars.
Gilbert was asking for $1.3 million for the piece of morbid history, but unfortunately was unable to make a deal with the Pawn Stars.
After the negotiations failed, the Bronco ended up at the Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee – where it still remains today.
It’s not the only getaway car on display at the museum near Dolly Parton’s Dollywood amusement park: The Bronco sits in an exhibit next to John Dillinger’s 1933 Essex Terraplane, the Bonnie and Clyde “death car” from the 1967 film, and Ted Bundy’s Volkswagen Beetle.
And it’s not even the only OJ memorabilia owned by the museum, which also features golf clubs and gloves (no, not that club) previously owned by the acquitted murder.
The museum was already planning on opening a special OJ exhibit later this summer to honor the 30th anniversary of the deaths of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman, and you’ve gotta think that the exhibit is going to be more popular than ever with OJ’s death.
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