NJ NJ - James Zapolski, 15, Princeton, 23 July, 1966

[Sweetluv]

How hard is it to remove a sticker off of a bike? Would it need to be scraped off..as in removing some of the bike paint too or more of a peel it off with ease? Curious as to why? If he was abducted off of the bike, the person wouldn't be spending time removing a sticker. Was the bike IN the canal or along side of it, in the grass, as if Jamie laid it down?

 

[Valiant]

How hard is it to remove a sticker off of a bike? Would it need to be scraped off..as in removing some of the bike paint too or more of a peel it off with ease? Curious as to why? If he was abducted off of the bike, the person wouldn't be spending time removing a sticker. Was the bike IN the canal or along side of it, in the grass, as if Jamie laid it down?

It all depends on the sticker. Some will peel of easily. Some won’t and need scraped away.
Since it’s a sticker he added, it might have been easy to peel off.

 

[Sweetluv]

July 23, 1966..what happened to Jamie!?

 

[Same Old Stella]

That decal/sticker might've been a "trophy" for his killer(s). Or it may have washed off in the water. I didn't realize that canal was so large; if he were thrown in with his bike, no one would ever be able to find him, since a poster up the thread said the current moves constantly for some 70 miles. However, you would think that sooner or later, his body would've surfaced and someone would've noticed. The stickers I remember from the late 1960's were sort of magnetized; they gripped to metal surfaces and you could take them off and on. A few I recall had an almost post it note stickiness that could also be taken off, just not as easily as the aforementioned.

 

[acutename]

never heard of this story....was there really only 1 bike like this one ever sold in the area? was it from a local shop? seems that it would not be the easiest thing abducting a 6ft tall young man. If he was saving up money for his FL trip, was that missing? stolen?

 

[Sweetluv]

6ft tall and around 150 pounds...don't think it would be ideal for someone to pull him off his bike, unless it was more than one person. If it was neighborhood bullies, i think his body would have been easily found. The bike was laid down at the canal area..either Jamie did that or someone placed it there. It was a sunny Saturday afternoon and no one seen anything (?) Missing since 1966...

 

[Sweetluv]

Jamie was working out, practicing for this bike tour he wanted to embark on. He took odd jobs to buy this nice bike. Maybe someone local was jealous. Odd this bike he cherished was dumped at the local canal. I think Jamie would have taken better care of it...
He was 6ft tall and 150 pounds so I don't think he was grabbed off of it..maybe he rode the bike and stopped to talk to someone he was acquainted with? Was there anyone in the neighborhood or school that Jamie was having problems with or could have been jealous over this bike?

 

[Sweetluv]

Anthony Tumolo, age 14, went missing from neighboring Pennsylvania while riding his bike just 3 months before Jamie disappeared..

 

[Sweetluv]

This seems more personal than a random abduction. Jealousy maybe...
Someone that knew him from school or the neighborhood...
They found his bike near the canal..too identifiable so they probably dumped it.
It was a sunny Saturday during the Summer, and no one seen or heard anything!?

 

[Diane Redfern]

Mar 04, 1967, page 3 - The Courier-News at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com

View the digital scanned newspaper from The Courier-News dated Mar 04, 1967, page 3.

www.newspapers.com

<mod edit: replaced screenshot with newspaper clipping link>
He lived in Rocky Hill, but he disappeared from Princeton. I would like to know who saw him there, what he was doing there.
Did the bike show any indication of being struck by a vehicle?

 

[Sweetluv]

He was apparently riding his bike in the vicinity of his neighborhood on sunny Saturday afternoon in July. His bike was found 5 miles from his house near a canal...undamaged, but a sticker was removed from the bike that he cherished. Jamie was 6 feet tall and 150 pounds at 15 yrs old. He wanted to ride his bike long distance to Florida and was training everyday. It was first speculated he ran off...but would not have left behind the bike that he worked odd jobs to buy.

 

[Sweetluv]

To add...Jamie mentioned he was going to stop by the home of a nearby neighbor to visit with their 23 year old relative who was visiting. Did LE question this 23 year old man??!!

 

[mst]

Mar 04, 1967, page 3 - The Courier-News at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com

View the digital scanned newspaper from The Courier-News dated Mar 04, 1967, page 3.

www.newspapers.com

<mod edit: replaced screenshot with newspaper clipping link>
He lived in Rocky Hill, but he disappeared from Princeton. I would like to know who saw him there, what he was doing there.
Did the bike show any indication of being struck by a vehicle?

I think it means the state police hq's was in Princeton

 

[beavt]

How hard is it to remove a sticker off of a bike? Would it need to be scraped off..as in removing some of the bike paint too or more of a peel it off with ease? Curious as to why? If he was abducted off of the bike, the person wouldn't be spending time removing a sticker. Was the bike IN the canal or along side of it, in the grass, as if Jamie laid it down?

It’s not a sticker, but a plaque/plate/badge. I’d think it’d be difficult to remove without the right tool (see below):

 

[Richard]

I doubt that this case is directly related, but only 10 months earlier, in Mapleton, Minnesota, another 15 year old boy disappeared and remains missing. He was also reported as riding a bicycle when last seen.

Dickie Huerkamp's thread is in this topic area. He went missing 2 October 1965. Could there be a connection?

 

[Sweetluv]

For 15, Jaime stood 6 feet tall..150 pounds. He had been working out and training for a long distance bike run. I don't think he was randomly taken off his bike. This feels personal. His bike was found abandoned at the canal with his special sticker removed. He worked odd jobs for this bike and was proud of it. If he was grabbed off the bike by a predator, his bike would lay at the spot he was abducted from.
Maybe someone in the area was jealous of Jaime. I find it interesting the sticker was removed from the bike and no damage to the bike which would indicate a car accident. What about this 20 something year old neighbor ,who was visiting, that Jaime wanted to stop by and see? It was a sunny Saturday afternoon and no one seen anything....

 

[Sweetluv]

JULY 23, 1966..thinking of Jamie!