GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WATE) — O.J. Simpson died on April 10, according to his family, but a piece of his infamous history is in East Tennessee.
The white 1993 Ford Bronco that led police on a televised slow-speed chase through Southern California in June 1994 can be seen at the Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge.
During the pursuit, Al Cowlings, a friend of Simpson, drove the Bronco while Simpson was in the backseat, allegedly threatening to harm himself according to a description on the museum’s website. Eventually, Simpson surrendered.
FILE – In this June 17, 1994, file photo, a white Ford Bronco, driven by Al Cowlings carrying O.J. Simpson, is trailed by Los Angeles police cars as it travels on a freeway in Los Angeles. Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman were found stabbed to death outside her LA home. Simpson is later arrested after a widely televised freeway chase in the vehicle. (AP Photo/Joseph Villarin, File) 
White Ford Bronco driven by Al “A.C.” Cowlings and carrying O.J. Simpson trailed by police cars on freeway, California, photo. (AP) 
O.J. Simpson’s close friend Al Cowlings, at the wheel of a Ford Bronco with Simpson hiding, leads police on a two-county chase northbound 405 Freeway towards Simpson’s home, June 17, 1994, in Los Angeles. Simpson later surrendered to police and charged with two counts of murder in connection with the slayings of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. (AP Photo/Lois Bernstein)
Five days before the pursuit, on June 12, 1994, Simpson’s ex-wife and her friend were found fatally stabbed at her home, ABC reported. Simpson was tried on charges stemming from their deaths the following year, but he was acquitted. Simpson was later found liable in a separate civil trial.
Artifacts and Programs Manager Ally Pennington explained that there are two Broncos associated with Simpson, and the museum has the one used during the chase, which was driven and owned by Cowlings. The second Bronco is the one owned by Simpson that blood was found in after the murders, which was seized for evidence.
“We are an education-forward museum, so we’re always trying to educate the public on how to better protect themselves. How to recognize signs and how people have survived horrible situations and so with our education focus, we always put an emphasis on the victims of crimes as well because they’re people too, and they have stories that were cut short by all of these monsters,” Pennington said. “We hope to provide information to the public so that they may be better prepared, but then also to cover the history of crime and punishment in America.”
In addition to including the Bronco and a set of O.J. Simpson’s golf clubs, Alcatraz has also worked with Nicole Brown Simpson’s family to tell her story.
“It’s a passion of mine to preserve the past, but also with artifacts like these, we do work closely with law enforcement and we work closely with victims. We actually worked with Nicole Brown Simpson’s sister on an exhibit regarding her a few years back and we’re bringing back parts of that exhibit this summer to honor the 30th anniversary of their deaths,” Pennington said. “I think in honoring sort of the people who were hurt in all of these crimes, especially something as brutal as what is associated with the Bronco, it’s important for us to work with law enforcement and get the facts, of the case, and then also work with victims and and their families and tell their stories as well.”
The museum features numerous temporary exhibits, including an exhibit on the Columbine High School Massacre from April 5 to June 7, and some more famous permanent artifacts, including Ted Bundy’s Volkswagen Beetle.
