lucky old nazis

Suspected Nazi Living in Philadelphia Dies Right Before Extradition

circa 1955: The perimeter fence of the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
Photo: Keystone

A judge ruled today that 89-year-old former Auschwitz guard Johann Breyer, a resident of the U.S. since 1952, could be sent back to Germany to face charges that he aided in the killing of 216,000 people, but it was too late. The accused Nazi, who has said his service was involuntary, died last night in a Philadelphia hospital after a month in jail, the AP reports. “No statute of limitations offers a safe haven for murder,” wrote U.S. Magistrate Timothy Rice, but death is its own kind of safe haven. “This hurts,” said the head Nazi hunter at the Simon Wiesenthal Center. “This hurts the families of the victims. This hurts anyone who is interested in justice.”

Suspected Nazi in Philly Dies Before Extradition