THE SOUTH Jersey suburb where David Miscavige grew up was utopian by design, a prefab paradise where footballs and fireflies floated over lush, green lawns and parents played pinochle long after the ice cubes melted in their cocktails.
Tom Cruise, left, with David Miscavige, who was born in Bucks County and spent his first 12 years in Willingboro, N.J.
And when Tom Cruise, Scientology's most-visible face, married Katie Holmes, he chose Miscavige as his best man. Ronnie Miscavige apparently has not spoken publicly about Scientology or his younger brother since leaving the church in 2000. "He has retained a taste for the local food, including Philly cheesesteaks, scrapple and perogies," a church spokeswoman wrote in an email.
"He has a personality that you kind of remember, not good or bad," said Jeffrey Wirth, a former Pennypacker Park resident who knew the Miscavige family as a boy."You just remembered him." The family studied Scientology in South Jersey briefly. In 1972 they abruptly sold their house, packed up and moved to England to delve deeper into the religion.
Rathbun and some other church defectors say Miscavige is nothing more than a 5-foot-5 bully who has physically attacked underlings for no reason. Rathbun, who once defended Miscavige against such allegations, said that's the dark side of his"Philly attitude.". The church has denied the allegations. When former neighbor Elliott saw Miscavige in a 1992 interview with Ted Koppel on ABC's"Nightline," he said the sharp stare, icy-blue eyes and overall demeanor brought back memories of Willingboro.Miscavige's father met his mother, Loretta, in high school in the coal region of Northumberland County, Pa., and Miscavige still has relatives in northeastern Pennsylvania.
In March 1985, women working in the office at another apartment complex, Gulph Mills Village apartments, alleged that the sketch resembled a man who had inquired about a rental there. Miscavige's father, a former Marine who has played trumpet for the church, later joined Scientology's Sea Organization, a clergy group whose members sign a lifetime commitment and wear naval-officer uniforms.
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