Did Serial Killer Ted Bundy Attempt to Abduct Debbie Harry?

Debbie Harry is most known as the lead singer of the rock group, Blondie. The group made its musical debut in 1974, releasing its first self-titled album two years later. Harry battled heroin addiction before and during her time with the band. and had what she calls a chance encounter with serial killer Ted Bundy, although experts debunk her claims.

Harry never spoke publicly about the encounter, at least until 1989 shortly after the serial killer’s execution in Florida’s “Old Sparky” having been convicted of the murders of 30 young women. Harry claimed news reports covering the execution triggered her memories of the event.

“This was back in the early ’70s. I wasn’t even in a band then … I was trying to get across town to an after-hours club,” Harry told a newspaper in 1989. “A little white car pulls up, and the guy offers me a ride. So I just continued to try to flag a cab down. But he was very persistent, and he asked where I was going. It was only a couple of blocks away, and he said, ‘Well I’ll give you a ride.’”

Once inside the car, Harry said she noticed the door handle and window handle were both missing. Spooked, Harry opened the car door to crack the window. The driver, she said, noticed what she was doing and punched the gas pedal, causing her to fall out of the car.

“It was right after his execution that I read about him,” she said. “I hadn’t thought about that incident in years. The whole description of how he operated and what he looked like and the kind of car he drove and the time frame he was doing that in that area of the country fit exactly. I said, ‘My God, it was him.’”

Harry claimed the incident occurred in New York City. When experts heard the claims, they placed serious doubt on her story, at least that Ted Bundy was the man sitting in the driver's seat that day.

Snopes.com published a story discounting her claims, saying it did not fit the timeline of Bundy's known whereabouts. Snopes.com is one of several different sources that placed serious doubts on Harry's story.

Harry claimed the incident occurred in 1972. Bundy was nowhere in the vicinity of New York at this time. Her description of the vehicle the man drove that day does not match the vehicle Bundy was known to have driven. Harry asserted that experts were wrong, citing that Bundy had twice escaped from prison. Bundy’s prison escapes did not occur until 1974.

Despite experts debunking her claims, Harry stands firm that Bundy was the man who she believes attempted to abduct her back in 1972.

Whether Ted Bundy or someone else was behind the wheel that day, Harry dealt with trauma for many years. In 2013, artist Robert Williams created the painting, “Debbie Harry’s Fears.” Through the artwork, Harry says she has found solace and considers it to be therapeutic to her needs.

More From Criminal Matters

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