Biography
John Crempa Jr. was arrested at work during the September 1935 public-utility dispute involving his family in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. He was detained separately from his father John. A contemporary report said his arrest preceded the confrontation in which deputies killed his mother Sophie and wounded his father, and that he remained held afterward. Another contemporary account identified a contempt citation. His exact admission and release dates remain unresolved.
Sources and evidence limits
The September 30 report quotes Camelia describing both herself and her father being taken to Union County courthouse jail after the shooting. It says John remained in jail, while Camelia had been released to attorney Leonard Pontus; John Jr. had been arrested at work the day before the shooting and remained held. The report calls the shooting Thursday, yielding September 26, 1935 and September 25 for the son by calendar. A contemporaneous Associated Press report in the September 27 Eugene Register-Guard has differing relative-day wording and describes the father being taken to hospital and the daughter temporarily detained. Physical detention is corroborated, but exact calendar days are not stored as settled: September month precision is used. The hospital and jail locations are attributed to their respective reports; no conviction or complete custody duration is established. Junior is explicitly the son, not the wounded father. He is not merged into the father’s case.
- Daily Worker, September 30, 1935, original pages 1–2, Power Trust Is Murderer in Raid
- Associated Press report in Eugene Register-Guard, September 27, 1935, page 5; digitized by University of Oregon
Birth and death dates are unverified. No race or organizational affiliation is inferred. Historical detention does not imply present custody.
