"The Olympic Park Bombing (Part One): From Hero to Suspect"
In the summer of 1996, the world gathered in Atlanta for the 1996 Summer Olympics...a celebration of unity, competition, and global pride.
And then a bomb exploded in Centennial Olympic Park.
In the first installment of this three-part series, Steve takes you inside the night that changed everything...the music, the crowds, the green backpack beneath a bench…and the security guard who noticed something wasn’t right.
His name was Richard Jewell.
At first, he was hailed as a hero...the man who spotted the bomb and helped clear the area before it detonated, likely saving countless lives.
But within days, that hero narrative collapsed.
What happens when the man praised on national television becomes the FBI’s primary suspect?
In Part 1, we'll walk through:
- The electric atmosphere of Olympic Atlanta
- The discovery of the backpack
- The chilling 911 warning call
- The explosion that killed two and injured more than 100
- The media spotlight that turned applause into suspicion
This is the beginning of one of the most controversial investigative shifts in modern American history.
And it’s only the beginning.
This episode sets the stage for the 88 days that followed...days that would nearly destroy an innocent man.
This episode contains discussion of terrorism, death, and traumatic events.
Up next
Part 2: 88 Days of Hell
The cameras close in.
The FBI doubles down.
A mother pleads on national television.
And Richard Jewell’s world collapses under the weight of suspicion.
