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Capone's prison cell

Boy hones in on wrong radio in Capone’s prison cell

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
Al Capone's cell at Eastern State Penitentiary. The offending radio appears in the background. Image courtesy of Eastern State Penitentiary
Al Capone’s cell at Eastern State Penitentiary. The offending radio appears in the background. Image courtesy of Eastern State Penitentiary

 

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A sharp-eyed boy who collects antique radios took umbrage with the vintage radio on display inside gangster Al Capone’s cell at a historic Philadelphia prison.

Eastern State Penitentiary closed in 1971 and now operates as a museum and national historic landmark. Thirteen-year-old Joey Warchal took a tour and noticed the radio in Capone’s cell was wrong.

The Prohibition-era mobster spent time at Eastern State in 1929 and 1930. The radio was made in 1942.

The seventh-grader offered to find the prison a historically accurate radio. The prison gladly accepted his help.

The Philadelphia Daily News reports the teen has located a 1929 model and will deliver it to Eastern State next week.

Joey began collecting at age 8. His mom says while most kids want toys “he wants antiques.”

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Information from: The Philadelphia Daily News, http://www.philly.com

Copyright 2016 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WF-05-31-16 1838GMT

Capone's prison cell