Interview · moment 13 of 15
Coney Island Grifters and the Cyclone Ticket Scam
from Antiseptic New York · #9
Audio-only archive episode — no video to seek.
3 minGuest
Ralph tells the story of a father-and-son con team who scammed him and a friend with fake Cyclone tickets at Coney Island, only for Ralph to catch them again years later.
- 37:47Growing up in Brooklyn, he had to learn early who was safe to talk to and who wasn't.
- 38:07His brother nearly got beaten up by a drunk kid from the King's Highway boys gang over a breakdancing competition.
- 38:29Tim went to high school in Coney Island and still feels it's the grittiest part of New York.
- 38:44He saw a heroin addict with an infected sore on his arm waving it around and spitting at families on the boardwalk.
- 39:16A man and his kid approached Tim and his friend Melanie at Coney Island offering to sell them Cyclone tickets.
- 39:37When they reached the Cyclone, Tim realized the tickets were fake.
- 39:52Tim confronted the con man, who silently handed back his money without arguing.
- 40:16Tim admits he felt sad realizing a father-and-son con team grift had more bonding than he ever did with his own father.
- 40:32Only in Coney Island could a father-and-son team of con men operate with such casual efficiency.
Coney IslandBrooklynKing's Highway boysMelanie