Burning Car in Downtown New Glarus Leads to Mystery
A December 1979 crash in downtown New Glarus left behind fire, denials, anonymous phone calls and one stubborn question: Who was the man pulled from the wreck?
On a December night in 1979, a car crashed in downtown New Glarus and caught fire near an insurance office. In doing so it left behind a mystery that hung over the village and much of Madison into the new year.
At first, it looked like a dramatic—though straightforward—accident. A 1979 Oldsmobile Toronado owned by Geraldine Karlen of Monroe had moved through the downtown business district, struck another vehicle, hit a tree and came to rest near the Merton Colney Insurance Agency building on 6th Avenue before catching fire.
New Glarus police officer Tom Hickox rushed to the scene. The early account of his actions was simple and heroic: Hickox had helped pull Karlen and another man from the burning vehicle.
When it was all over, the fire was out, the people were alive, and the wreckage was hauled away.
Then the questions began.
Who was the man?
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