The Real Story Of John Wojtowicz And The Bank Robbery That Inspired ‘Dog Day Afternoon’
Updated: Jul 17
John Stanley Wojtowicz, a name that may not be immediately recognizable, became infamous for orchestrating a dramatic bank robbery in Brooklyn, New York, in 1972. This event later inspired the critically acclaimed film “Dog Day Afternoon,” starring Al Pacino. Wojtowicz’s story is one of desperate love, social challenges, and a dramatic brush with crime.
Early Life and Background
John Wojtowicz was born on March 9, 1945, in New York City. He grew up in a traditional, working-class family in Brooklyn. After graduating from high school, Wojtowicz enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1965, serving in Vietnam. His time in the military was marked by discipline, but it also exposed him to different cultures and experiences that would shape his future decisions. During basic training, he had his first gay encounter with “a hillbilly by the name of Wilbur,” which was a significant and formative experience for him.
Upon returning from Vietnam, where he had survived a traumatic rocket attack on his base, Wojtowicz struggled to adjust to civilian life. He married Carmen Bifulco in 1967, and they had two children together. However, his marriage became strained due to his burgeoning realization of his bisexuality, which eventually led to their separation. Wojtowicz then became involved in New York’s gay community, where he met Ernest Aron (later known as Elizabeth Eden).
The Motivation Behind the Crime
The driving force behind Wojtowicz’s infamous bank robbery was love. Wojtowicz’s partner, Elizabeth Eden, was a transgender woman desperate for gender-affirming surgery, which was not only expensive but also not widely accessible at the time. Wojtowicz, deeply in love and desperate to help Eden, decided to rob a bank to fund the surgery.
The Bank Robbery
On August 22, 1972, John Wojtowicz, along with Salvatore Naturile (known as “Sal”) and Bobby Westenberg, attempted to rob a Chase Manhattan Bank branch in Gravesend, Brooklyn. Wojtowicz had met both Sal and Westenberg at a gay bar, and he convinced them to join him in the heist. The trio was far from professional, as evidenced by their chaotic approach to the crime.
Initially, they drove around New York looking for a bank to rob. At their first target, they accidentally dropped their shotgun, causing it to go off, but they managed to flee. At the second bank, Westenberg ran into a friend of his mother’s, leading them to call off the attempt. They finally decided on a Chase Bank in the Gravesend section of Brooklyn, inspired by recently watching 'The Godfather' they passed a note to the bank employee saying "this is an offer you can't refuse"
The robbery quickly turned into a 14-hour standoff with police, FBI agents, journalists, and snipers. Around 2,000 spectators, including Wojtowicz’s own mother, gathered in the sweltering summer heat to watch the drama unfold. One journalist on the scene described it as a “full-blown show.”
Wojtowicz eagerly embraced his role as the ringleader. He ordered pizza for his hostages, paid the delivery guy with wads of cash taken from the bank, and even tossed more stolen money into the cheering crowd outside. His actions endeared him to the hostages, who began to see him less as a threat and more as a desperate man with a purpose. Teller Shirley Ball later recalled, “I realized that he was friendly…had a purpose for robbing the bank…he thought he would be in and out.”
However, the situation was far from an in-and-out job. As the hours dragged on, tensions rose. At one point, New York Daily News reporter Robert Kappstatter got the interview of a lifetime when he called the bank on a whim and Wojtowicz himself answered. Caught off guard, Kappstatter opened the conversation with a casual “so, how’s it going?” to which Wojtowicz snapped back, “How do you think?”
Arrest and Imprisonment
The standoff ended when FBI agents convinced Wojtowicz to surrender, promising that he and Sal would be safely transported to an airport for a flight out of the country. However, as they were being transported, law enforcement intervened, leading to Sal being fatally shot and Wojtowicz’s arrest.
Wojtowicz was subsequently charged with multiple crimes, including bank robbery and kidnapping. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison but served 14 years before being released on parole in 1987.
Life After Prison
After his release, Wojtowicz lived a relatively quiet life. He capitalized on his notoriety, at times selling the rights to his story and consulting on the film “Dog Day Afternoon,” which brought him some financial benefit. The movie depicted Wojtowicz as a sympathetic character driven by love, a portrayal that garnered him a unique form of celebrity.
Wojtowicz continued to express his love and dedication to Eden, who received her surgery with the help of the money from the film. Unfortunately, Eden passed away from AIDS-related complications in 1987, the same year Wojtowicz was released from prison.
Legacy
John Wojtowicz’s story is a complex blend of crime, love, and the quest for acceptance. His desperate actions highlighted the lengths to which he was willing to go to support his partner, against a backdrop of a society struggling to understand and accept LGBTQ+ individuals.
Wojtowicz passed away from cancer on January 2, 2006, but his story lives on, immortalized in “Dog Day Afternoon” and remembered as a peculiar chapter in the history of American crime. His life and actions, though criminal, evoke a mix of sympathy and reflection on the challenges faced by marginalised individuals and the extremes of human emotion.
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