Richard Allensworth Jewell ( born Richard White ; December 17 , 1962 – August 29 , 2007 ) was an American police officer and security guard . While working as a security guard for AT&T , he became known in connection with the Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta , Georgia . Discovering a backpack filled with three pipe bombs on the park grounds , Jewell alerted police and helped to evacuate the area before the bomb exploded , saving many people from injury or death . Initially hailed by the media as a hero , Jewell was later considered a suspect . Jewell 's case is considered an example of the damage that can be done by media reporting based on unreliable or incomplete information
Centennial Olympic Park bombing
Centennial Olympic Park bombing
Richard Jewell