Member-only story
In 1924, a New York City Man Was Buried Up To His Neck In Quicksand for 36 Hours
On the verge of insanity, a well-placed hat ended up saving his life
Outside of movies, most of us don’t have a lot of direct experience with quicksand. That’s a good thing to not have ever been so close to the dangerous natural phenomenon. Unfortunately, a New York City man in the 1920s couldn’t claim the same, as he accidentally stumbled into a patch where he remained stuck up to his neck for 36 hours until he was finally saved just as he was descending into the throes of insanity from the ordeal.
In 1924, 52-year-old John Leonardi of Brooklyn was out walking on the outskirts of Springfield, Long Island. The path he was on was bordered on both sides with swamps, including patches of quicksand. Locals later explained to the press how dangerous the area was, where one misstep could make the difference between a safe hike and a potentially deadly encounter.
Unfortunately, Leonardi found one of the worst patches of quicksand and quickly sank. He was stuck up to his next, where he remained for around 36 hours. He was only saved when two men (William Nash of Jamaica, New York, and his son — also named William) were walking in the vicinity. They noticed a newer derby hat laying on the ground. When they picked it up…
