1997: Jim Thomasen was Pine Valley’s newest hero. He stopped Brooke English from jumping after the fuselage of TransGlobal flight 149 after it crashed on the Jersey shore. Jim knew Brooke was a very influential woman, and wanted to use their newfound friendship to his advantage. But, when he arrived at her home, he saw the face of a woman he thought he had successfully eluded.
Laura English was a girl desperate for money when Jim first met her. Jim was a photographer, and exploited Laura’s desperation by forcing her to model for pornographic photos with another model named Ricky. Jim was well aware that Laura was underage. To silence Laura, Jim hired Ricky to kidnap her. Then, Jim staged a rescue. Appreciative for Jim’s assistance, Laura promised to keep his crime a secret from Brooke.
Ricky compromised Jim’s plan when he began blackmailing him. Jim knew Ricky was a druggy, so he staged an overdose to finally silence his old partner.
A deeper investigation into the crash of Flight 149 revealed a questionable piece of evidence. A shard of suitcase suggested that maybe it was carrying an incendiary device the caused the crash. Jim had reason to worry because the suitcase belonged to him.

1998: Jim knew it was only a matter of time before Brooke and her reporter friend Edmund Grey revealed the truth about his part in the crash of Flight 149. It was he who had smuggled a bomb onboard. Edmund lost his wife, Maria Grey, in the crash. When he thought Edmund was getting too close, he threw him into the aqueduct in Wildwind.
Brooke confronted Jim at the Chandler Gallery. Laura had just told Brooke about Jim’s past as a pornographer. Jim threatened Brooke that if she ever went to the police, he would go after her son, Jamie Martin. Brooke pulled out a gun and shot Jim, dead.