This innocent-looking Coney Island spot was ground zero for America’s deadliest gang war

Pellegrino Morano’s Camorra Gang War at Coney Island

Coney Island was more than just rides and fun in the 1910s.

It was where Pellegrino Morano ran his Camorra gang from the Santa Lucia restaurant, making cash from gambling and cocaine. On June 24, 1916, rival Italian gangs met there to talk business but soon turned on each other.

By September, Morano had lured two Sicilian Mafia men to their deaths. The war raged until May 1917, when gang member Ralph Daniello talked to cops.

His words sent Morano to Sing Sing for 20 years and helped the Sicilian Mafia win control of New York crime.

The Coney Island Museum now shows what this beach town looked like when mobsters, not tourists, ruled its streets.

Morano Ran His Crime Empire From a Coney Island Restaurant

Pellegrino Morano owned the Santa Lucia restaurant near Coney Island’s amusement parks in the early 1900s.

He ran his Neapolitan criminal gang, the Camorra, from this spot. Morano made money through gambling and selling cocaine with his right-hand man Tony Parretti.

His gang worked as a loose group rather than a tight outfit, though Morano did bring in new members through special ceremonies.

The Coney Island crew worked closely with Alessandro Vollero’s Navy Street gang from Brooklyn. Together, they soon challenged the Sicilian Mafia for control of New York’s criminal world.

The King of Little Italy’s Murder Created a Power Vacuum

When gangsters killed Giosue Gallucci, known as the “King of Little Italy,” in May 1915, it opened the door for power-hungry criminals.

Morano wanted to take over the profitable numbers rackets in Italian Harlem that Gallucci had run for years.

After Gallucci’s death, Thomas Lo Monte briefly took control of his Harlem policy game before Morano grabbed it.

The fight over who would run New York’s rackets started right after Gallucci’s murder, kicking off what people called the Mafia-Camorra War.

Rival Gang Leaders Met at Coney Island to Talk Business

On June 24, 1916, the Sicilian Morello gang met with two Neapolitan Camorra gangs at Coney Island. They talked about adding more gambling spots in lower Manhattan, where they could make lots of money.

During the meeting, Nick Terranova and Steve LaSalle from the Morello family said they needed to kill a rival gambler named Joe DeMarco before moving forward.

The Brooklyn gangs also wanted DeMarco dead because he took over one of their gambling spots on Mulberry Street.

The Tribute Payments Stopped Coming

Morano agreed to pay the Morellos $25 weekly to run a Harlem numbers game in their area. After losing money for several months in 1916, Morano stopped paying.

Charles Ubriaco went to Brooklyn to talk with Morano, but he refused to pay another penny. The Morellos took back control of the numbers game from Morano.

This move made the Camorra boss angry, and he started planning revenge against the Sicilians. Morano called for the murder of the Morello leaders.

Two Camorra Gangs Plotted to Kill Morello Leaders

The Navy Street and Coney Island Camorra gangs held several meetings to plan the killing of six key Morello members. They wanted to take over gambling, artichoke, ice, and coal rackets across the city.

Morano came up with the idea to kill the Morellos and got support from Navy Street boss Vollero. The gangs created a plan to trick Morello leaders into coming to Brooklyn for a fake peace meeting.

They set the trap at Vollero’s Navy Street café, where gunmen waited for their targets.

Camorra Gunmen Ambushed Morello Leaders

On September 7, 1916, Nicholas Terranova and Charles Ubriaco walked into a deadly trap.

The two Morello leaders came to Brooklyn thinking they would talk with Morano and Navy Street gang boss Lauritano about fixing their problems.

As soon as they arrived, five Camorra gang members shot and killed both men. The Navy Street café owned by Alessandro Vollero worked perfectly for the ambush.

The death of Nicholas Terranova, the Morello family’s top leader, hurt the Mafia’s power in New York.

The Bloodshed Continued Across Manhattan

The Camorra gangs targeted other East Harlem leaders next, killing Giuseppe Verrazano at Joseph Conti’s Italian Gardens Restaurant on October 6, 1916.

They tried to reach the remaining Morello family members, who stayed near their house on East 116th Street for safety.

During this violent time, the Camorra killed six more Morello soldiers and briefly took control of Manhattan rackets.

The Neapolitans didn’t fear police because they bribed officers regularly. The code of silence called omertà also kept witnesses quiet.

The Camorra’s Grip on Power Started Slipping Away

Morello gunmen shot Navy Street boss Alessandro Vollero in January 1917, sending him to the hospital.

The next month, police raided policy dens across the city, including the Navy Street café where they found proof of illegal gambling.

A Navy Street gunman named Ralph Daniello faced trial for robbing a young drug dealer, which brought police attention to the gang’s cocaine business.

Police raided the Navy Street café again and convicted owner Leopoldo Lauritano for having weapons.

These problems weakened the Camorra’s position.

A Gang Member Turned Against His Bosses

In May 1917, Ralph Daniello, known as “The Barber,” started talking to police about everything he knew. As a Navy Street gang member who joined murder planning meetings, he had valuable information.

After police arrested him in November 1917 for a drug-related murder, Daniello quickly admitted the Camorra’s role in many crimes.

He told the district attorney details about twenty-three gang murders from the past two and a half years. Daniello helped solve almost two dozen murders and gave police leads on hundreds of open cases.

The Courts Sent Camorra Leaders to Prison

Daniello’s testimony, plus statements from “Johnny the Left” Esposito, Tony Notaro, and other gang members, led to Vollero’s conviction.

After a second trial on March 4, Vollero got a life sentence at Sing Sing prison. Courts convicted Pellegrino Morano of second-degree murder and gave him 20 years to life, also at Sing Sing.

Police got Ralph Daniello to testify before several Grand Juries, resulting in 21 indictments in November 1917. The former gang members’ testimony hurt the Camorra organization badly.

Sicilian Gangsters Won the Underworld War

The trials in 1918 completely crushed the Camorra gangs as former members turned against their bosses. The testimony demolished the protection they had enjoyed from police and politicians.

This marked the end of the Camorra in New York and the rise in power of American-based Sicilian Mafia groups.

The conviction of Vollero and his associates finished off both the Navy Street Gang and Brooklyn Camorra organization.

By 1918, law enforcement had sent many Camorra members to prison, with the remaining members joining the Morello family.

This victory allowed the Sicilian Mafia to cement its dominance over organized crime in America, eventually evolving into the legendary Five Families.

Visiting Coney Island, New York

You can explore the Mafia-Camorra War history at the Coney Island History Project on West 12th Street near the Wonder Wheel, which has free weekend admission.

For deeper exhibits, visit the museum at 1208 Surf Avenue for $5 adults or $3 for seniors and kids under 12. Museum hours are 12pm-5pm with tickets from the gift shop.

Take the subway to Coney Island/Stillwell Avenue station. The museum is upstairs and not wheelchair accessible.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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