we make style affordable, you make it yours! jcpenney. tonight on "nightline," mystery solved? d.b. cooper took 200 grand and jumped from an airliner in flight. now, after four decades of man hunts, mystery, even a movie, abc news uncovers exclusive new clues. >> i'm certain he was my uncle. >> is this america's most notorious hijacker? a shore thing. they pull in 8 million viewers an episode, going from this to this. >> i'm going back to the motherland. >> behind the scenes of "jersey shore's" italian vacation. and, in the heights. it is the craziest, scariest, highest night's sleep an amateur climber can imagine. after pitching a bed and breakfast on owe semideep's el

capitan. but man, is it worth the view. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," august 3rd, 2011. >> good evening, i'm bill weir. and we begin tonight with what could be a break in one of the most intriguing cold cases in our country's history in the early '70s, a hijacker calling himself d.b. cooper jumped from a flight and disappeared in the woods of the pacific northwest. his fate remained unknown. his true identity a mystery, that is, perhaps, until now. thanks to this exclusive interview with abc's pierre thomas. >> i'm certain he was my uncle, lynn doyle cooper. >> reporter: this woman has reignited the investigation into the only unsolved hijacking in u.s. hihiory. her name is marla cooper.

and she says her uncle is the infamous hijacker,.b. cooper. this is not an alias, you believe that your uncle was d.b. cooper. >> yes, i do. >> reporter: the identity of d.b. cooper has bebe a mystery since november 24th, 1971, when a man calling himself dan cooper hijacked and threatened to blow up a passenger jet flying from portland to seattle. he ordered the plane to land and demanded a $200,000 ransom and a parachute. after cooper's demands were met and the plane took off for mexico, per his request, cooper did the unthinkable. he lowered the back stairs and jumped out of a speeding 727. thousands of feet over the pacific northwest, during a raging storm. >> the air was freezing. i mean, this was negative, i think negative 4 degrees at that height. and when he opens the stairs, the blast from the jet en. s above completely deafening.

>> reporter: he disappeared, despite a massive man hunt, becoming some what of a folk hero, iconic, even the subject of a movie. the one big case where the fbi did not get their man. marla cooper says she now remembers s conversation with her father before he died in 1995, that she didn't fully understand at the time. >> my father made a comment about his long lost brother, my uncle l.d., and said that he thought he was still alive, but hiding from the fbi. and i questioned why he would be hiding, and he said, "don't you remember, he hijacked that airplane?" a couple of years ago, my mother made a similar comment. >> reporter: why have you decided to come forward? >> actually, i contacted the fbi as soon as i was sure of what i was remembering were real memories. there's a crime that's taken place that hasn't been solved and i'm the only person, as far as i know, who knows what

happened. >> reporter: marla was 8 at the time of the hijacking. >> my two uncles, who i only saw at holiday time, were planning something very miseconomy vous. they left to go turkey hunting. thanksgiving morning, i was waiting for them to return. >> reporter: the flight was hijacked the next morning. her uncle came home claiming to be in a car accident. >> he was bloody and bruised and a mess and i was horrified. i began to cry. and my other uncle, who was with l.d., said, marla, just shut up and go get your dad. >> i definitely think it was strange that he disappeared like that. reporter: marla's mother believes her brother-in-law could be the hijacker. >> i think it was more what i didn't know that made me suspicious than what i did know,

because when -- any time the subject would come up, it just immediately got cut back off again. >> reporter: she says l.d. grew up in oregon and familiar with the area where the hijacker jumped. he was a logger, outdoorsman, tough enough, she believes to jump out of a plane. marla doesn't know much about her uncle other than he was a war veteran and he was obsessed with a comic book character. >> he had the dan cooper come mick books thumb tacked next to his bed. i think he idolized this guy and conjured this crazy scheme. >> reporter: she provided the fbi with a guitar strap in this photo to check for fingerprints. so far, none have been found. authorities are investigating this new lead in the case. if l.d. and d.b. cooper are one in the same is difficult to prove. i'm pierre thomas for

"nightline" in oklahoma city. >> of course, pierre will continue to follow the investigation. thanks to him. > up next, we go all the way to italy for the hair gel and high jinx behind the scenes of "jersey shore." [ man ] behind every business is a "what if." what if we designed an electric motorcycle? what if we turned trash into surfboards? whatever your what if is, the new sprint biz 360 has custom solutions to make it happen, including mobile payment processing, instant hot spots, and 4g devices like the motorola photon. so let's all keep asking the big what ifs. sprint business specialists can help you find the answers. sprint. america's favorite 4g network. trouble hearing on the phone? visit sprintrelay.com. [ female announcer ] something unexpected to the world of multigrain... taste. ♪ delicious pringles multigrain.

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>> announcer: "nightline" continues from new york city with bill weir. >> italy gave us the renaissance, cappuccino, both dolce and gabbana. what do we give them in return? how about eight spray tanned horn dogs? also known as the cast of "jersey shore," also knono as the most popular show in the history of mtv. for the new season, the new american icons are bog back to the mother land.

yes, italy. and abc's chris connelly tagged along for a little sneak peek. >> reporter: they loved and lost. fought and feuded. they've gone to the beach. they've gone to the club. and they've been very, very thirsty. >> love you guys. >> reporter: their drinking, dust-ups and desires captured on camera have turned the 20-somethings of mtv's "jersey shore" into reality superstars. like nicole "snooki" polizzi. the "did she do that" girl? why do you think people are so fascinated by you? >> i don't know. i think i'm real and i just don't give a [ bleep ] about what anybody says about me. >> reporter: "jersey shore" is now the most popular series in the 30-year history of mtv. so, as it begins airing its fourth season this week, the cast has been uprooted from

jersey to florence. producer sally ann set them up here. >> this is their living room. this is where they live. if you look over here, there's cameras like this all over. this way, they also know that as long as they're around, they're on camera. >> reporter: nicole what do you have to be able to say to get around here? >> pretty much, what do you say -- >> reporter: that's it? manga, manga? what if you're in a club? >> do you like the boobs? >> reporter: what makes that show such a success, "jersey shore"? >> they're likable. you really like these people and they're complete losers and idiots but they're likable losers and idiots. >> reporter: consider pauly d.

>> all right. >> jimmy: jenny. and the situation. if these walls could talk, mike, what would they say? >> mike, you are a pimp. >> reporter: here, even a shopping trip to a shoe store becomes a euro free for all. >> how much? >> like, 300. >> for these? can i get a discount? >> that's one worde do know here. bathroom and discount. >> reporter: same for their gym, tan, laundry morning routine. the cast found that life in italy wasn't so conducive to gtl. >> you have to tan in a nail salon out here. >> you need to make a month in advance appointment and it takes three and a half, four hours. >> reporter: show your nails. you ladies don't have nails? >> go back to jersey to get our names done.

>> self tanner. >> it's the little things. you don't appreciate until you come here and then you appreciate the little things like, bluging in my blow drier. >> reporter: this is what you plug in in? >> there is key. >> reporter: no cell phones, no tv, no computers, no internet. that isolation forces the cast to deal with one another. and that's when the sparks start flying. when a fight begins to start, are you guys sitting will going, oh -- >> grab popcorn. >> if you hear yelling, banging, that's when you get out of bed and just sit down and watch. >> i don't give a [ bleep ]. let's go! >eporter: seeing them get into bed also grabs viewer's attention. that can mean a trip to a private room, known as -- >> the smush room. >> i'm not a fan of the smush room. i like my own sheets, my own

bed. >> oh, my god. usually mike's in there a lot so i will not use those sheets that mike uses, just because it's gross. >> reporter: fellas say they bypass the locals to pursue american tourists. >> i brought home one italian girl maybe. >> reporter: one italian girl? >> it might have been one italian girl and about 35 americans, i don't know. >> reporter: their celebrity is never mentioned on "jersey shore." but with new deals that earn them a reported six figures an episode, they are welcome pen sated for their anything but innocent antics in the city renowned for timeless art. but this cast has an idea or two about improving. >> i really like the david statue, because we're all obsessed with david. >> reporter: mike, you got a good look at the david's abs. what do you think? >> the standard sex symbolrom back in the day until day.

>> i think david needs some gel in his hair, just saying. >> he needs a tan and then he'd be good. >> reporter: i'm chris connelly for "nightline" in florence, italy. >> thanks to chris connelly for that. coming up next, the most spectacular camp site in yosemite national park. fear of heights probably not recommended. and off we go! seeking inspiration from the world's best yogurts for activia selects in paris we discovered the inspiration for a totally new yogurt. activia selects french so silky and smooth with lots of juicy fruit. then our search took us to beautiful greece and this thick and creamy greek yogurt, so rich and full of flavor. it was a grueling trip! try new activia french and greek yogurt. a world of great new tastes. we made a miracle. and we got onesies! sometimes miracles get messy. so we use tide free. no perfumes or dyes for her delicate skin.

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hanging off the rock star of rocks, yosemite's el capitan. over a century after tedy roosevelt set it aside for all of us, generations after abc newsle adams captured its majesty, and one summer after oprah roughed it here, yosemite national park is more popular than ever. few places in the world are more gorgeous and more accessible for the lover of land. and then there's something called port-a-lenl camping that opens up all sorts of possibilities, including el capitan. >> one of the coolest things about climbing this is seeing the huge features, like, touching them when you've seen them from the ground. you're like, i'm touching the texas flake! >> reporter: my new best friend is holly beck, a climbing guide.

does this pay the bills? >> no. no. i'm an accountant. >> reporter: really? i quickly realize you want a good accountant on that wall. you need one. because, up here, life or death is in the organization al details. >> these are jugs. >> reporter: jugs? the plan is to jug ourselves about 400 feet out and literally hang out for the night. to capture my point of view and better resemble a residentf whoville, i duct tape a camera to my melon and head up. spectacular. the granite is warm in the sun. and with every pull and stst, the mass of trees below turn to green carpet. this is amazing. look at that. it's hard to believe that there's a whole breed of climber who does this without any of the equipment. just a little chalk on their fingertips. after about 45 minutes of

rigorous jugging, i get my first realization that port-a-ledge is just a term for dangling hot. how often do these things break? >> it's pretty rare. >> reporter: this is one of the more unique sun sets i've experienced. i soon learn that even stretching involves team work. >> lift your butt for a second. just slightly. okay. while our second guy eric assembles the second bedroom suite, we catch a bit of the evening rush hour, as a pair of friendly swiss descend right through the middle of camp. >> reporter: hello. how are you? >> i'm sorry to -- >> reporter: no problem. we're having dinty moore beef stew later. it turns out stew must be part of the deluxe package.

oh, the hobo delicacy. pork and beans. and a beer! woo hoo. boy, this is really going to send the legal department into shock. not only am i not supposed to drink beer on camera -- >> are you not supposed to? >> reporter: i'm drinking beer off the side of el capitan. >> reporter: we get as comfortable as darkness falls. you can hear the roar of a waterfall. and the chirp of bats coming out to hunt for the night. somehow, i doze into dreams that weirdly do not include falling. but when the moon givens way to the first light of dawn, the spasms in my cramped neck and back provide a natural wakeup call. well, that was refreshing. as we stretch, there comes

question you're undoubtedly wondering. how does one answer nature's call in this situation? >> my partner is going to the bathroom. i look to put my head inside my puffy goat and then get my whole sleeping bag -- >> so there's no smells. >> and hold my breath. >> reporter: this is s sond only to prison when it comes to figuring out intimacy issues. time to leave the el cap bed and breakfast. and we'll see you at the bottom. the trip down is twice as quick. there goes our hotel, right there. and after 18 hours of touching the sky, comes the most satisfying moment of all. >> taking off this harness. ah. ah. oh, sweet relief. oh, my god. why do i enjoy rock climbing? the same reason i enjoy hitting myself in the head with a hammer. it feels so good when i stop. but you forget the pain. can't wait to go back.