Jump to content

Salvatore Testa

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Phatcat68 (talk | contribs) at 12:53, 9 September 2007. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Salvatore "Salvie" Testa (born 1956in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania died September 14, 1984) was a Philadelphia gangster who served as a hitman for the Scarfo Crime Family. Testa was the son of Philip "Chicken Man" Testa, "The Chicken Man", who was boss of the Philadelphia crime family for a short period of time,

Revenge

Testa was a rising star in the family, elevated by boss Nicodemo Scarfo to the rank of capo. An extremely violent individual, Testa committed over 15 murders. One murder was that of mob associate Rocco "Boom Boom" Marinucci, the man who killed Testa's father. Marinucci had planted a bomb underneath Testa's house, packing it with nails to appear as the work of union forces in revenge for the killing of Philadelphia Roofers Union boss John McCullough. When Testa's father inserted his key in the front door, the bomb exploded, killing him and destroying the front of his house. Pieces of his body were said to be found blocks away. Exactly one year after the bombing, Marinucci was found fatally shot in the neck, chest and head in a parking lot in South Philadelphia. His mouth was stuffed with three large unexploded cherry bombs. It was the work of the young Testa.

Survivor

Testa survived several attempted hits during his time as a capo. One source estimates Salvie Testa survived 17 separate hits.[[1]] In 1982, during the Scarfo - Harry Riccobene mob wars, Testa was sitting on a wooden crate outside a South Philadelphia pizza shop, enjoying a bucket of clams. A shotgun blast from one of Riccobene's men knocked Testa off the crate and nearly severed his left arm. Although in critical condition, Testa survived. In late 1983, four days after the killing of Riccobene’s brother, Salvatore and two associates were ambushed as they were driving in South Philadelphia. No one was injured in what would prove to be the last effort on the part of the Riccobene forces in the war.

Final Hit

Following the end of the gang war, Scarfo decided to eliminate Testa. Scarfo may have thought Testa was getting jealous of him or perhaps he worried that Testa was becoming too powerful. On September 14, 1984, Scarfo lured Testa into an ambush. Some of Testa's friends shot him in the back of the head and dumped his body along a roadside. The hit team included Nicholas Caramandi, Charles "Charlie White" Iannece and Salvatore "Wayne" Grande, who was the triggerman. He was set up by his best friend, Joseph "Joey Pung" Pungitore.

In 1987, Scarfo and other associates were indicted for Testa's murder.

  • Gangland News
  • Blood and Honor: Inside the Scarfo Mob - The Mafia's Most Violent Family by George Anastasia, 2004, ISBN 0-940159-86-4
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Salvatore_Testa&oldid=156686112"