nick sutton
07-12-2011, 05:20 AM
As though we didn't have enough problems, things were made worse by numerous bomb scares made during the summer months of 1981. These resulted in the entire factory being evacuated and the premises searched to find the device. This involved the search of seventy two acres of land and fourteen acres of buildings. The whole process could take up to an hour to complete. The workforce from the body shop, maintenance and EPA buildings were evacuated to the grassy banks of the Seymour hill entrance outside the factory gate. With the search complete the all clear was announced by the Personnel Director, Myron Stylianides using a megaphone inviting everyone back to work; his announcement had to be repeated more than once particularly for those with hearing difficulties, which appeared to be most of the workforce who were now quite relaxed bathing in the summer sunshine.
Daytime threats were rare most hoax calls came at night in the early hours. Research into the threats by the DeLorean security staff and Police revealed surprisingly that the night time bomb threats were made from inside the DeLorean factory complex from the main assembly area. All 'phones in the factory public areas were usually programmed for internal use only; except for one in the assembly shop which was permanently connected by mistake and the phone allowed outside calls. This was the phone used by the caller. A plan was made to catch the culprit. This needed to be undertaken in complete secrecy.
The calls came at the same time in the early morning a few hours before the night shift in the body shop was due to finish. A call two hours before the end would result in an early finish of the shift as it seemed pointless to get things restarted just for a few minutes. The security people knew the location of the calls and the telephone used. The phone was mounted on a support stanchion in the storage area in the assembly building which finished operations at 10 p.m. The Assembly building were the phone was positioned covered six acres and included production lines and material storage areas with wide aisles to allow fork lift truck access. It was the next building to the body shop. The Assembly Building area was lit only by emergency lighting after 10pm.
It was later that I learned the details.
One night just after the assembly shift finished at 10pm security staff set themselves up in a large crate with a good view via a cardboard flap of the phone in question. The crate was not out of place as the area was used for material storage and large boxes of many kinds were usual in the location. The security staff complete with torches and thermos flasks and seats waited for the bomb hoaxer to make his call and sat quietly in the crate in a state of nervous expectation.
First to be seen in the early hours was a person practising roller skating in the huge aisles. Alternatively speed skating down the aisles then a pirouette to complete his performance. A good catch but not what they were after. Then almost to the minute of the expected call a man approached the stanchion. He looked up and down the assembly shop and either side of the stanchion before he lifted the 'phone. He dialled. This was him.
The security staff ran from a large flap in the crate to the man, phone still in hand."What are you doing" said the Security Chief.
"Calling my Auntie in Australia" was the answer. "Everyone knows you can make outside calls from this 'phone". This is indeed what he was doing.
The hoaxer was never caught and the 'phone changed to internal calls only. There were no more early finishes in the Body Shop.
Perhaps the roller skater went on to greater things and that GRP fabrication was not his forte. We never found out his identity.
© Copyright 2011 - Nick Sutton
Daytime threats were rare most hoax calls came at night in the early hours. Research into the threats by the DeLorean security staff and Police revealed surprisingly that the night time bomb threats were made from inside the DeLorean factory complex from the main assembly area. All 'phones in the factory public areas were usually programmed for internal use only; except for one in the assembly shop which was permanently connected by mistake and the phone allowed outside calls. This was the phone used by the caller. A plan was made to catch the culprit. This needed to be undertaken in complete secrecy.
The calls came at the same time in the early morning a few hours before the night shift in the body shop was due to finish. A call two hours before the end would result in an early finish of the shift as it seemed pointless to get things restarted just for a few minutes. The security people knew the location of the calls and the telephone used. The phone was mounted on a support stanchion in the storage area in the assembly building which finished operations at 10 p.m. The Assembly building were the phone was positioned covered six acres and included production lines and material storage areas with wide aisles to allow fork lift truck access. It was the next building to the body shop. The Assembly Building area was lit only by emergency lighting after 10pm.
It was later that I learned the details.
One night just after the assembly shift finished at 10pm security staff set themselves up in a large crate with a good view via a cardboard flap of the phone in question. The crate was not out of place as the area was used for material storage and large boxes of many kinds were usual in the location. The security staff complete with torches and thermos flasks and seats waited for the bomb hoaxer to make his call and sat quietly in the crate in a state of nervous expectation.
First to be seen in the early hours was a person practising roller skating in the huge aisles. Alternatively speed skating down the aisles then a pirouette to complete his performance. A good catch but not what they were after. Then almost to the minute of the expected call a man approached the stanchion. He looked up and down the assembly shop and either side of the stanchion before he lifted the 'phone. He dialled. This was him.
The security staff ran from a large flap in the crate to the man, phone still in hand."What are you doing" said the Security Chief.
"Calling my Auntie in Australia" was the answer. "Everyone knows you can make outside calls from this 'phone". This is indeed what he was doing.
The hoaxer was never caught and the 'phone changed to internal calls only. There were no more early finishes in the Body Shop.
Perhaps the roller skater went on to greater things and that GRP fabrication was not his forte. We never found out his identity.
© Copyright 2011 - Nick Sutton