In the early morning hours of April 7, 1972, his 43rd birthday, Joseph “Crazy Joe” Gallo was shot inside a clam bar on Mulberry Street and died on the pavement of Hester Street outside. The New York Times later called it one of the more sensational Mafia murders in the city’s recent history. More than fifty years on, the killing remains officially unsolved, and the corner where it happened is one of the most asked-about addresses in Little Italy.
TL;DR
- Joe Gallo was killed at the original Umberto’s Clam House, 129 Mulberry Street at the corner of Hester Street, on April 7, 1972.
- That address is now an Italian restaurant called Da Gennaro. Umberto’s itself moved and today operates at 132 Mulberry Street.
- Gallo was celebrating his birthday with family when gunmen entered and opened fire. He died outside on Hester Street.
- No one was ever charged. Frank Sheeran’s later claim to be the gunman, dramatized in The Irishman, is widely disputed.
- The site is on Mulberry Street, a short walk from the Little Italy stops on the Nice Guy Tours Chinatown and Little Italy Food Tour.
Who Was Joe Gallo?
Joseph Gallo was born on April 7, 1929, in Red Hook, Brooklyn. With his brothers Larry and Albert, he worked as an enforcer for the Profaci crime family, and in 1961 the Gallo crew kidnapped several Profaci lieutenants, a move that helped set off a violent internal conflict. Later that year Gallo was sentenced to seven to fourteen years on conspiracy and extortion charges. He served about a decade and was released in April 1971 (Source: Joe Gallo, Wikipedia, citing contemporary court reporting).
After prison he moved in unexpected circles. He befriended actor Jerry Orbach and his wife Marta, and he was portrayed in films and, after his death, in Bob Dylan’s 1976 song “Joey,” which critics at the time accused of romanticizing him (Source: Time, “Our Friend Joey Gallo,” 1972; The Mob Museum). It is worth remembering the record underneath the celebrity: Gallo was a convicted extortionist and a violent figure in a violent business.
What Happened at Umberto’s Clam House
Umberto’s Clam House opened in early 1972 at 129 Mulberry Street, on the northwest corner of Mulberry and Hester Streets, founded by Umberto Ianniello. On the night of April 6, Gallo celebrated his birthday at the Copacabana nightclub with his new wife, Sina Essary, her young daughter, his sister Carmella and his bodyguard, Peter Diapoulas. After 4 a.m., the group stopped at Umberto’s for a late seafood meal (Source: The Mob Museum, 2018).
Gunmen entered and opened fire. Diapoulas was wounded and survived. Gallo was hit several times, made it out the front door and collapsed in the middle of Hester Street beside his car. He was pronounced dead at Beekman-Downtown Hospital shortly afterward. His wife and her daughter witnessed the shooting.
Who Killed Joe Gallo?
Officially, nobody. No one was ever charged with the murder (Source: Newsweek, November 29, 2019). Several accounts have circulated over the decades:
- The Colombo feud theory. Many investigators and historians believe allies of Colombo family boss Joseph Colombo ordered the killing, following the 1971 shooting of Colombo at an Italian Unity Day rally. This remains the most widely held theory, not a proven fact.
- Joseph Luparelli’s account. A Colombo associate, Luparelli told authorities in 1972 that he spotted Gallo at the clam bar and alerted others. A detective on the case later said his statement was never corroborated.
- Frank Sheeran’s claim. In the 2004 book I Heard You Paint Houses, Sheeran said he was the lone gunman. Martin Scorsese’s 2019 film The Irishman dramatized that version.
Why Sheeran’s claim is disputed
Witnesses and police described a shooter of average height and stocky build, while Sheeran stood well over six feet tall. Nicholas Gage, the New York Times reporter who covered the killing, publicly dismissed Sheeran’s book as fabrication (Source: Slate, August 2019; Newsweek, November 2019). Some investigators have defended parts of Sheeran’s account, so the fairest description is that his claim is contested and unproven.
Umberto’s Clam House Addresses Over the Years
| Years | Address | What Is There Now |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 to 1996 | 129 Mulberry Street, corner of Hester Street (site of the 1972 shooting) | Da Gennaro, an Italian restaurant |
| 2000 to 2010 | 178 Mulberry Street, corner of Broome Street | Figo, a gelato shop |
| 2010 to today | 132 Mulberry Street, between Grand and Hester Streets | Umberto’s Clam House |
Sources: The New York Times, “Umberto’s Is Rubbed Out,” December 22, 1996; The New York Times, May 24, 2000; Umberto’s Clam House.
The most common mistake online is placing the shooting at today’s Umberto’s. The current restaurant at 132 Mulberry Street is across the street and down the block from where it happened, and it opened decades later. None of the businesses operating at these addresses today have any connection to the 1972 crime.
Visiting the Site Today
The corner of Mulberry and Hester Streets looks like much of Little Italy: red sauce restaurants, outdoor tables and awnings, with nothing to mark what happened there. If you visit, it is worth treating it as what it is, a spot where a man was killed in front of his family, on a block where many families still run businesses. The history is part of the neighborhood, but it is only a small part.
The domed Police Building on Centre Street, the city’s police headquarters at the time of the shooting, is a few blocks west.
Mulberry Street is the spine of Little Italy, and the Hester Street corner sits a short walk from the Little Italy stops on the Chinatown and Little Italy Food Tour from Nice Guy Tours, a walking food tour company in New York City. The tour spends its time on the neighborhood’s food history, including long-running family businesses like Di Palo’s Fine Foods, founded by a family that arrived in 1903, and Piemonte Ravioli on Grand Street. Guides can point out landmarks like Mulberry and Hester along the way, and they will tell you the story straight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where was Joe Gallo killed?
Joe Gallo was shot inside the original Umberto’s Clam House at 129 Mulberry Street, at the corner of Hester Street in Little Italy, and died outside on Hester Street on April 7, 1972.
Is Umberto’s Clam House still open?
Yes. Umberto’s Clam House operates at 132 Mulberry Street, where it has been since 2010. It is not the same building where the 1972 shooting took place.
Who killed Crazy Joe Gallo?
The murder is officially unsolved and no one was ever charged. The most widely held theory ties it to the Colombo crime family, and Frank Sheeran’s later claim to be the gunman is widely disputed.
Did Frank Sheeran really kill Joe Gallo?
It is unproven and heavily doubted. Eyewitness descriptions of the shooter did not match Sheeran, and reporters who covered the case rejected his account, though a few investigators have supported parts of it.
What is at 129 Mulberry Street now?
The address is now home to Da Gennaro, an Italian restaurant. Umberto’s closed at that location in 1996.
Summary
- Joe Gallo was killed on his 43rd birthday, April 7, 1972, at the original Umberto’s Clam House at 129 Mulberry Street.
- The murder was never solved, and Frank Sheeran’s claim of responsibility is widely disputed.
- Umberto’s has moved twice and now operates at 132 Mulberry Street.
- The site is part of Little Italy’s history, best visited with respect for the neighborhood that still lives and works there.
Want the real history of Little Italy along with its best food? Book the Nice Guy Tours Chinatown and Little Italy Food Tour and explore Mulberry, Grand and Mott Streets with a local guide.