On November 22, 1987, Chicago television viewers witnessed one of the strangest and most infamous broadcast intrusions in U.S. history. During two separate incidents that evening, someone managed to hijack the airwaves of WGN-TV and WTTW, replacing regular programming with a bizarre video of a person wearing a Max Headroom mask—the fictional AI character known for his glitchy, stuttering speech.
The first interruption occurred during a WGN news segment, where the screen suddenly cut to a figure in the mask, wobbling in front of a spinning metal background. The station quickly regained control. But two hours later, PBS affiliate WTTW wasn’t so lucky. During a broadcast of Doctor Who, the same masked figure returned, this time speaking in distorted audio and engaging in nonsensical antics that lasted about 90 seconds. Engineers were powerless to stop it, as the intruder had overridden the broadcast signal itself.
What made the event so unsettling wasn’t just the bizarre content, but the technical sophistication behind it. Hijacking a television signal in the 1980s required a deep understanding of broadcasting technology, access to powerful transmission equipment, and precise timing. This wasn’t the work of an amateur prankster—it was clearly a calculated and carefully executed act.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched an investigation shortly after the incident, and while several theories and suspects have surfaced over the years, no arrests were ever made. The mystery of the Max Headroom hijacker has since become a legend among cybercrime enthusiasts and TV historians. It’s a rare example of a crime that occurred live on television, witnessed by thousands, and yet left no traceable fingerprints.
Today, the hijacking is remembered as a cultural oddity and a symbol of early media disruption. It has inspired documentaries, podcasts, and even references in pop culture. While technology has evolved and security has tightened, the Max Headroom incident remains a chilling reminder of how vulnerable our systems once were—and how one masked figure briefly seized control of the airwaves, only to vanish without a trace.