Two armed robbers held the German police at bay for 54 hours throughout the hostage-taking drama that ended in a shootout and three deaths in 1988.

Dieter Degowski and Hans-Jürgen Rösner went into a Deutsche Bank branch in 1988, in Gladbeck, West Germany, and stole money. They even threatened the employee.

The two criminals demanded a vehicle and several hundred thousand Deutschmarks in cash. They vanished overnight, taking the same vehicle alongside two bank employees.

Netflix has made a true-crime documentary of this case under the name Gladbeck: The Hostage Crisis. The documentary was first aired on Wednesday, June 8, 2022.

Gladbeck Hostage Crisis: Who Is Hans Jürgen Rösner?

Hans Jurgen Rosner is a 31 years criminal who entered a Deutsche Bank branch in 1988 to rob alongside Dieter Degowski.

The two men demanded a getaway vehicle as well as $300,000 in Deutsche Marks. Once the demand was fulfilled, they fled, taking the bank and two hostages.

Hans Jurgen Rosner and Dieter flew down to Bremen, Germany, where they were accompanied by Marion Löblich, Hans’ girlfriend, as a collaborator.

The three hijacked a bus on August 17, 1988, and held more than 30 people hostage. Hans was interviewed by the locals, who again demanded a list of things from the police.

The police authorities Marion while they were resting in Grundbergsee, Germany. Hans threatened the police to kill the hostage if they didn’t free his girlfriend.

Despite Marion’s return, Hans had already killed the boy. The police finally stopped the escape on August 18, 1988, after 54 hours, and all three criminals were arrested.

Update: Where Is Hans Jurgen Rosner Today?

Hans Jurgen Rosner was sentenced to life imprisonment for his crimes in March 1991.

As per a 2017 report, he was imprisoned in a German prison facility in Aachen. Hans revealed in an interview that he wouldn’t apologize to the victims.

He accepted his crime of killing a 15 years old boy in Grundberg See, Germany. Hans said that he worked as an ironing board manufacturer while imprisoned.

Hans currently lives in a group home and hopes to be freed someday. He dreamed about spending his life with his partner, away from everything.

His girlfriend, Marion, was sentenced to nine years in prison. However, she only served for six years because of his good behavior.

While his friend, Dieter Degowski, served thirty years in prison and was released in February 2018.