Son of Sam

A city paralyzed by fear. A killer who claimed to hear the devil’s voice. And a summer that turned New York into a hunting ground.

In 1976, New York City was already teetering on the edge — plagued by crime, blackouts, and economic decline. Then came David Berkowitz. Armed with a .44 caliber revolver and a twisted mission, he prowled the streets at night, targeting young couples in parked cars. His cryptic letters taunted police and the press, signed ominously: “Son of Sam.”

As the body count rose, panic gripped the city. No one felt safe. The largest manhunt in NYPD history was launched, and the media frenzy only fueled the hysteria. But behind the satanic claims and disturbing confessions lay a far more complex portrait of a lonely, delusional man seeking power through chaos.

This gripping true crime narrative unpacks the timeline of the killings, the psychological unraveling of Berkowitz, and the cultural impact of a case that still casts a shadow over America’s most iconic city.

A terrifying journey into the mind of a madman — and the nightmare that held a city hostage.