Celia Cooney

Celia Roth Cooney (1904 – July 13, 1992) was an American who went on a robbing spree in the spring of 1924. Cooney robbed 10 buildings with her husband Ed Cooney before she was caught. She became known as the Bobbed Haired Bandit for her exploits. The robberies received significant media coverage, making headlines in The New York Times, the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, the Los Angeles Times, and others. The newspapers criticized commissioner Richard Enright and the New York City Police Department for their inability to catch Cooney. In response, Enright ordered the largest manhunt in the city's history, and still failed to catch Cooney.

Ed Cooney had his fingers smashed in a machine while in prison, and had his arm eventually amputated below the elbow. Weakened, he developed tuberculosis and died in 1936. Before his death, in 1931, Ed filed a $100,000 case against New York state because of the loss of his arm. His lawyers, Samuel S. Leibowitz, and Jacob Shientag won the case, granting a settlement of $12,000 to the family. The couple were released on October 16, 1931. Celia Cooney spent the rest of her life in relative obscurity, working as a typist, and later at Sperry Gyroscope. She married Harold La Grange in 1943, and died on July 13, 1992. Cooney's exploits would soon enter popular culture, with lectures, plays, and songs featuring her story. In December of 2021, true crime comedy podcast My Favorite Murder released an episode covering Cooney's story.

Cooney evaded capture for 65 days, eventually fleeing to Florida after a botched robbery of the payroll office of the National Biscuit Company. While in Florida, she gave birth to a child, who died several days later. She was caught in April 1924, and sentenced to twenty years in prison, of which she served seven. After leaving prison, she spent the rest of her life in relative obscurity, dying in 1992.

Her first robbery took place on January 5, 1924, when Cooney entered a Thomas Ralston grocery in Park Slope, and asked for a dozen eggs. She subsequently held up the store, and stole a total of 680 dollars. The robbery received a smattering of coverage in the Brooklyn Eagle and Brooklyn Citizen. Celia and Ed Cooney soon moved to 1099 Pacific Street. They spent the money quickly, and subsequently robbed an Atlantic and Pacific at 451 Ralph Avenue, and a H. C. Bohack store. In total, they netted about $365 from the two robberies. The New York Daily News and Telegram and Evening Mail covered the robberies, with the Mail coining the nickname "bobbed hair bandit".

The robberies that the couple were pulling off, while drawing much attention, were often only bringing in just barely enough to survive on. In order to secure their financial well-being, the couple planned to rob the payroll office of the National Biscuit Company warehouse. The robbery occurred on April 1, 1924. They held up the cashier, Nathan Mazo and several employees. Mazo attempted to stop the robbery, and Ed Cooney subsequently shot him, as he believed that Celia had been hurt. The couple fled, leaving $8,000 behind in the open safe.

Celia Cooney was born in 1904. She ran away from her home in 1920. In 1922, she met Ed Cooney, with whom she fell in love. The couple married on May 18, 1923. Celia Cooney worked at the Ostrander Company, and Ed Cooney as a mechanic. After their marriage, Celia became pregnant.