The Hand in the Trunk

so we were heading west on the interstate when about five lanes over through the morning mist I said Jerry I really think I saw it we kept hearing his channel in the radio people were saying it was this car driving around and there was a hand waving from the truck it was driving up and down the interstate and every time they give report police would come back said well we can't find them and so we kept hearing that what we need to do is we need to go out and find that car when garland would get a location we would head to that location or that area you know took us probably three hours or so you know the longer we went that you know that kept growing it we weren't gonna find it what I reported into Garland that we had caught up to the car he asked should he call the police and I said yes because it was obviously not a joke I sort of stayed back far enough that they didn't know we were following them mark was the pastor and I said mark steer the car while I stick my head out and take a picture of it I clicked off about ten exposures it was wiggling the hand was actually you know wiggling there I was excited I think Jerry was trying to calm me down I didn't think maybe they could be dangerous I thought they were dangerous otherwise why would they have this person in the car they something it was not right we were totally focused on the on the chase on sticking with them on not losing them and garland the whole time is telling us stick with them by this time I think they figured out they're being followed they know we're following them I told mark this I said mark I'm fine I was chasing them all over Birmingham until we find out what's going on I said but if they turn it in point point a gun at us I'm going the other way we would follow them out of the you know through this residential area if they threw it in Reverse we'd throw it in reverse and as we're headed out of this residential area from the distance we see this convoy of Birmingham police cars blue and red lights turning furiously they kind of pinned the car in we come up from behind they popped the trunk and this guy would later reveal he'd been in there about 14 hours heard them discussing where to finish him off or dump his body he'd been stabbed robbed and beaten the night before but he was basically okay that's the first thing he asked when he got out you know I need a cigarette we headed back to the news building we get off the elevator on the 4th floor and the news room erupts in applause I went home and went to bed you know just to rest get some rest and they called me up and said Jerry you need to come back down here to get your picture taken I said why they said because we're gonna write it up with this story you know these pictures went all over the world I heard about people seeing them in Tokyo and Rome Italy my folks were in Germany they pick up the International Herald Tribune and there's this picture of a hand sticking out of the trunk of a car with their kids named the caption it was so unusual I mean you just don't have hands sticking out of the trunk every day it was just really strange recalling my career that's probably the most famous that it was far as I've responded or my 15 minutes of fame so we couldn't get away from it I mean we had a responsibility a moral responsibility a journalistic responsibility to stay with that car it just had to work out that way [Music]

Channel: AL.com

Views: 9,969,592

Rating: 4.9382515 out of 5

Keywords: birmingham news, hand in the trunk, mark winne, jerry ayres

Id: OXBk0iN46_8

Length: 4min 38sec (278 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 29 2016

Reddit Comments

[u/dblan9]

Did they go to prison?

Edit: Did my own Sherlocking -

Court records, however, do not show what happened to the charges against Joseph Findley and Robin Green.

[u/Budpets]

Charges against Wilburn Fendley were dismissed by a judge who found that he had joined the other two after the robbery had occurred and after Collier had been put in the trunk. Court records, however, do not show what happened to the charges against Joseph Findley and Robin Green.

I can't find much info other than Collier died in '89

[u/Price_Of_Soap]

Wow, good for those 2 guys for sticking with that car throughout the whole ordeal.

[u/Entebe]

How did they notify the police?

[u/maybeinoregon]

Incredible story. Glad these reporters had the fortitude to stick with it!

[u/violetgrumble]

A similar thing happened in Australia recently. A truck driver saw a hand protruding through a broken tail light and alerted police.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/women-charged-after-woman-found-waving-from-car-boot-hume-highway/8b5a3219-69d3-4d8b-86ba-e6bc3b45c6e4

[u/gsupanther]

Hey, I was interviewed by Mark Winne a few years ago.

[u/Slamsdell]

Was this guy's hand jammed in the trunk? Or did he shove his fingers through so people could see him?

[u/Martipar]

You used to (and probably still can) buy plastic hands that look like this.