Crazy Joe Gallo was one of the wildest cats to ever roam these streets. Born on April 7, 1929, Joe was as unpredictable as they come, hence the name “Crazy Joe.” Diagnosed with schizophrenia, he didn’t let that slow him down. Instead, he carved out a name for himself as an enforcer in the Profaci crime family. Joe and his brothers, Larry and Albert, formed their own crew, known for their audacity and balls. They even whacked Albert Anastasia, the Gambino boss, in ’57, right in the heart of midtown Manhattan.
But Joe wasn’t just a hitter; the guy was a strategist. In ’61, he pulled off a bold move by kidnapping four of Profaci’s top guys. This stunt set off the First Colombo War. When Joe got pinched for extortion, the power plays didn’t stop. While he was doing his time, Profaci kicked the bucket, and the Gallo crew went after Carmine Persico, keeping the family feuds burning. Joe got out in ’71 and didn’t give a damn about any peace deals made while he was locked up. He demanded a hefty sum from Joe Colombo, who laughed it off. Not long after, Colombo got shot and paralyzed at an Italian-American rally, a hit many thought Crazy Joe orchestrated.
The Colombo family wasn’t about to let Joe get away with his demands and the suspected hit on Colombo. Things heated up into the Second Colombo War. Joe’s end came on his 43rd birthday, April 7, 1972, at Umberto’s Clam House in Manhattan’s Little Italy. He was there celebrating with his new wife, Sina, her daughter, his sister, and a couple of close pals. Earlier that night, they had hit the Copacabana with actor Jerry Orbach and his wife, Marta, to see Don Rickles and Peter Lemongello. Just past 4:30 a.m., as they were enjoying their seafood, gunmen burst in and sprayed the place with lead. Joe, always ready for a fight, tried to pull his piece, but it was too late. He got hit multiple times and stumbled out into the street, bleeding out before he could be saved.
The hit at Umberto’s became legendary, shrouded in mystery and conflicting tales. Colombo associate Joseph Luparelli claimed he was at the bar when he saw Gallo and immediately left to recruit gunmen. He said they returned and ambushed Joe with a hail of bullets. But detective Joe Coffey, who took over the Gallo case, believed it was a lone gunman. Coffey said eyewitnesses and crime scene evidence pointed to a single shooter. Despite Luparelli’s claims, no arrests were ever made. Some think Luparelli’s story was a cover-up to ease tensions between the Colombo and Genovese families. Whether it was one man or many, Joe Gallo’s murder added another dark chapter to the annals of the New York Mafia. The case remains officially unsolved, but in our circles, the whispers
