Bruce Alfred Johnston Sr. (March 27, 1939 – August 8, 2002) was the leader of one of the most notorious gangs in the history of Pennsylvania.
Along with his brother James Jr., he was raised by his grandmother Harriet Steffy and great aunt Sarah Martin.
He founded and led the Johnston Gang, which had a wide network and operated primarily in Chester County, according to a 1980 Pennsylvania Crime Commission report.
He and the Johnston Gang, which included his brothers David and Norman, also committed crimes in Lancaster County on several occasions crossed state lines into neighboring Maryland and Delaware.
They primarily engaged in theft, stealing cash from safes, farm and lawn tractors, sports equipment, jewelry, antiques and cars from country estates, and other items that could be sold off.
[1][2] In each break-in or theft, gang members used their skills in picking locks, cracking safes, and disarming or averting security systems.
While doing a job in one part of the county, they would divert the state police by making a false report of criminal activities elsewhere.
They drilled holes in the side of the shop and disarmed the alarm system, and used dynamite to gain access to a safe.
Janet Gazzerro and her husband Frank were convicted of bribing a juror in the Chester County Common Pleas Court where Bruce Johnston Sr. and others were accused of the theft of a tractor.
When the police were gathering information about the burglary ring, Manheim resident Gary G. Hauck was asked to testify.
As the Johnston Gang came under increased police surveillance due to their high-profile activities, they began an assassination campaign to eliminate potential witnesses.
[citation needed] Investigators connected the gang with $1 million in stolen goods, and believed the actual total was much higher.
[2] Bruce Johnston was convicted of the murders of Gary Crouch, James Johnston, James Sampson, Robin Miller, Wayne Sampson, and Duane Lincoln and for the attempted murder of Bruce Jr.[citation needed] He received six life sentences.
Three of the "Kiddy Gang" murder victims (Wayne Sampson, 20; Duane Lincoln, 17; and James Johnston, 18) had disappeared in August and were shot and buried near the infamous Devil's Road/Cult House Road [Cossart Road] along the Northern Delaware/Pennsylvania Border in Pennsbury Township, Pennsylvania.
That’s sad," said Joseph Carroll, the former Chester County district attorney who dealt with Johnston Jr. in connection with his testimony against his father and other members of the gang.