How Debbie Harry Escaped from Ted Bundy

The popstar claims that she almost met a grisly end at the serial killer’s hands.

Jessie London
5 min readJan 19, 2021

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Graphic Created by Author — Image Source

It’s not often, as a True Crime writer, that you’re lucky enough to share a survivor’s story from one of your favorite singers. Debbie Harry’s tale is nothing short of incredible. After accepting a lift from a man in the early 1970s, Debbie managed to escape from and later identify him as, the notorious Ted Bundy. Executed in 1989 for the murder of 30 women, Bundy no doubt had grim intentions for the young star.

The abduction of Debbie Harry

Since she hit the airwaves with American rock band ‘Blondie’ in the late 70s, Debbie Harry’s distinctive voice has made her popular across generations. With ‘Call Me’ the States’ top-selling single of 1980, and the album ‘Rapture’ spending two weeks at number 1, the band is adored by thousands.

It’s unthinkable that Blondie’s impressive and unique sound almost never made it to our ears. The why is simple — Debbie Harry was the chosen victim of the serial killer, Ted Bundy.

One fateful summer night, a chance encounter in New York’s East Village, almost cost Debbie Harry her life.

It was 1972, and Debbie was making her way to a late-night party only a few blocks away. As she was wearing her signature, max-platform shoes, she knew that walking wasn’t an option. As she attempted to hail a cab, a young man, with curly, dark hair, pulled up and offered her a lift.

Ted Bundy-Facebook

Initially, Debbie ignored the man and continued for several minutes more trying to hail a taxi. Calm but persistent, the man asked her where she was going and claimed that her destination was on his way — he’d give her a lift.

Debbie conceded and, by chance, took a seat in the back of the car rather than the front. Quickly, Debbie began to feel uncomfortable.

The man didn’t make much conversation, despite having been charming when encouraging her into the car. It was also stiflingly hot inside the vehicle and the windows were open only a couple…

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Jessie London

MA Creative Writing (UEA) | PGCE English (Durham) | BA Hons Literature (UNN). Tech Entrepreneur for 15 years. Now a full-time Author & Writer of fiction & fact.

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