Hooked
When Tony Hathaway was arrested outside a Seattle bank in February 2014, it brought an end to one of the most prolific bank robbery streaks in American history. Hathaway robbed 30 banks in a single year, all within a 30-mile radius of his suburban home. But that’s not the most surprising part of this story. Before Hathaway was a masterful bank robber—a shape-shifting professional who confounded multiple police departments and the FBI—he was a top design engineer at Boeing, one of America’s most important companies. Hathaway traveled the world in business class, working on the 747, while hiding a gigantic secret: an OxyContin addiction that ultimately unraveled his life. Based on three years of conversations between Hathaway and journalist Josh Dean, Hooked is a different kind of crime story that takes listeners on an exceptional and very personal tour of America’s opioid epidemic.
New Episodes on Wednesdays.
Hooked is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Campside Media. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts.
Our Editor's Take
Hooked is a true crime podcast that lives up to its title. It explores the life of Tony Hathaway. The Seattle, Washington man had an important engineering career in aviation. He was a family man and all-around good guy. But he also had a side hustle as a notorious bank robber.
Why would Hathaway jeopardize his life with a "bank robbery spree for the ages," as the Hooked podcast calls it? This show explains his story. It reveals how drug addiction took hold of his senses. Journalist Josh Dean hosts the program. The podcast features several years of interviews between Dean and Hathaway. The recovering addict talks about how drugs took over his life. Through his tale, the program also explains the human cost of addiction to opioids.
The 2021 podcast series Hooked tells Hathaway's full addiction story. A physician prescribed him OxyContin with good intentions. It was to help with pain from a roller hockey injury. But Hathaway ended up addicted to heroin. Even his day job in the aircraft industry wasn't enough to pay for the drugs. So he started robbing many banks to get his fix. He went to prison for his crimes and got sober. Hathaway served his time, and seemed to have gotten his life back on track. But he had another setback after he appeared to have beaten his addiction. That was the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, which made him struggle with his sobriety.
The Hooked podcast discusses how addiction is an epidemic in the US. It also talks about someone with such promise could end up as both a masterful thief and as a drug addict. Even having a great background or profession may not prevent such addiction. The show offers unique insights into what drove Hathaway to commit these crimes. It also provides context for understanding why so many Americans have become addicted to opioids over recent decades.
Hooked has 11 episodes about Hathaway's journey. This is an engaging true crime series. It talks about important issues surrounding drug abuse. Listeners may get insight into how addiction is so powerful.
Episodes