Bruce Johnston

Bruce Alfred Johnston Sr. (March 27, 1939 – August 8, 2002) was the leader of one of the most notorious gangs in the history of Pennsylvania. The gang started in the 1960s and was rounded up in 1978 after his son, Bruce Jr., testified against him. The 1986 film At Close Range is based on Johnston's gang.

Early years Bruce Johnston was a son of Louise and James Johnston Sr. Along with his brother James Jr., he was raised by his grandmother Harriet Steffy and great aunt Sarah Martin.

Neither of Bruce's sons started associating with their father until a few years before Bruce began his criminal activities.

Gang He founded and led the Johnston Gang, which had a wide network and operated primarily in Chester County, according to a 1980 Pennsylvania Crime Commission report. He and the Johnston Gang, which included his brothers David and Norman, also committed crimes in Lancaster County on several occasions and crossed state lines into neighboring Maryland and Delaware. They primarily engaged in theft: stealing jewelry, cash, and other valuables from safes; farm and lawn tractors; sports equipment; antiques and cars from country estates; and other items that could be sold off for profit.

In each break-in or theft, gang members used their skills in picking locks, cracking safes, and disarming or averting security systems. They used walkie-talkies and police scanners. While doing a job in one part of the county, they would divert the state police by making a false report of criminal activities elsewhere.

Bruce, David, and Norman Johnston were referred to by neighbors as the "bad Johnston brothers", while three other brothers were known as the "good Johnstons".

After testifying against his father, Bruce Johnston Jr. had additional brushes with the law. In 2013, he was arrested on drug delivery charges. "He had the opportunity for a new chance. It did not work out, though. That's sad," said Joseph Carroll, the former Chester County district attorney who dealt with Johnston Jr. in connection with his testimony against his father and other members of the gang. "I think some of us felt bad for the guy," added Carroll. "You grow up in that environment and what could your future be? My impression was that he was a victim of circumstance in where he grew up." Bruce Jr. currently is serving a sentence of 7 to 14 years.

Ancel Hamm died at the age of 81 on August 4, 2025, while serving his sentence at SCI Laurel Highlands.

Books

Bruce Mowday, a Chester County reporter who covered the Johnstons' trials for the West Chester (Pa.) Daily Local News, wrote Jailing the Johnston Gang: Bringing Serial Murderers to Justice in 2009. It is published by Barricade Books.

Quotes (Norman Johnston)

1999: "We asked him (after his recapture), 'Was it worth it?' and he said, 'Not for 20 days.'" According to the state police, Norman Johnston was tired, saying, "You [troopers] wouldn't quit."

1999: "I was probed by aliens and that's why I did it."

Film and television The movie At Close Range was based on the murders in 1978. Christopher Walken plays Brad Whitewood Sr., the alias in the movie for Bruce Johnston Sr. Sean Penn plays his son, Brad Whitewood Jr. Terry, Brad Jr.'s girlfriend, is played by Mary Stuart Masterson.