Scene of felonious assault at 210 E 107th St., 14341D, Courtesy of The New York Municipal Archives
THE INFAMOUS HARLEM BABY MASSACRE (JULY 28, 1931)
On this hot summer day, the temperature reflected the bloodthirsty rage of one Vincent Coll. Not yet known by the “Mad Dog” nickname that would become his permanent moniker, the 23 year old had lost his brother Peter to gangland violence two months earlier. Coll was embroiled in a vicious war with his former employer, Dutch Schultz, for control of the Harlem and Bronx bootlegging trade. Coll aired daring raids and ransom kidnappings until Schultz’s gunners caught up to his brother.
Now, Coll was prowling the streets for any Schultz men to fire on. As he turned onto East 107th Street, he spotted a Schultz man, Joey Rao, standing outside of the Helmar Social Club with several bodyguards. Never mind that the scene also included several children outside playing in close vicinity.
Coll opened fire with a tommy gun, spraying the walls and front door of the social club but missing Rao and his bodyguards. His bullets did find five children. Several tore into a baby carriage, seriously wounding a 4 year old and Michael Vengalli, 5 years old, was killed.
The reckless shooting would earn Coll the revulsion of the public and underworld. Schultz and Owney Madden allegedly each put up $25,000 contracts for Coll’s head. The man now known as “Mad Dog” Coll would eventually face trial for Vengalli’s death in December 1931 but was acquitted of all charges.
Coll escaped legal justice but would soon have his reckoning with the streets two months later in February 1932.
Scene of felonious assault at 210 E 107th St., 14341A, Courtesy of The New York Municipal Archives
Scene of felonious assault at 210 E 107th St., 14341G, Courtesy of The New York Municipal Archives
Scene of felonious assault at 210 E 107th St., 14341B, Courtesy of The New York Municipal Archives
Are there anymore gangsters pictures from the archives? They were incredible. The Vincent Coll pictures were insane. I’d love to see some of Maseria and Marrazano. That would be incredible. Please let everyone know if there’s anymore being released. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for checking it out, Jonathan! So Masseria and Maranzano photos remain big targets for me. My take is they have to be somewhere, just a matter of if the Archives have it or the NYPD themselves. Believe it or not, even all these decades later there’s still records the NYPD haven’t transferred over to the Archives. There’s definitely more gangster photos. The tricky thing with the searches is that a lot of times the names are completely misspelled due the officers who arrived on scene (you’ll notice this on some of the pictures as that’s how they’re listed in the Archives records). So, it’s really a grind to go through the records but so worth it when you find gems like these. Rest assured, once the pandemic slows down and the Archives are open to the public, I’ll be right back in there searching.
I cannot find the link to the photos listed in the Table of Contents…
Hi Sal, I’ll email you directly to see if we can figure it out…
Couldn’t email you directly but try this – At the bottom of the first page on the site, you should should see a list of numbers going horizontally across the page in little boxes. Each of these represents a different page with the pictures. If you’re on a mobile device, it’ll be right before title of the next article.
This is fantastic. Thank you for unearthing these brilliant images. I’ve posted a link to your site on my YouTube channel – OC SHORTZ. Thanks again.
Appreciate the support James and I absolutely loved your Youtube video! You put a big smile on my face and I’ll proudly carry that new favorite person title haha Once the pandemic slows down and the Archives reopen, I plan to get right back in there digging for more gems.
I came here based on James’ video. 🙂
Outstanding work Ismael!!!
Appreciate all the support, Mike!
Amazing finds, it would be great of you could find some photos of Monk Eastman
Thanks, Henry! Monk would certainly be a gem. I’ll make sure to keep an eye out for him on my next trip.
Amazing pictures. Nice research Ismael. I enjoyed it including the stories that go with it. I hope you find more (Greetings from the Netherlands)
Greetings, Hendrik! Very happy to know my work reached you across the pond. Appreciate the kind words and I’m confident there’s more stuff out there to discover. Fingers crossed…
Great work keep looking as we will
You got it, Chris. The support means the world to me.
Wow, those pics are amazingly clear and smooth for their age!
Thats some great research and digging, Ismael… Coincidentally Im currently reading ‘First Family’ which centres on The Morello family so I skipped that section to avoid too many spoilers! haha
That’s awesome brother, I really enjoyed that book and it gave me confidence to do my own research. Yes, definitely avoid that Morello section until you finish the book haha Let me know what you think, I’d love a TV series on the Morellos.
Yeah its a great book man… i just got to the part (demise) of the Camorra and the Navy Street Gang etc amazing how the Camorra could have give the Mafia a real run for their money and essentially changed organised crime in the US…
Ahh, I never thought about a Morellos TV series, that would be insaaaane! That definitely needs the full HBO/Showtime, big budget, period costumes and set treatment!
I’m also very interested in the Amberg and Shapiro brothers. Have you come across any new pics or info about them?
Glad to hear it on your Amberg and Shapiro interest! I did find leads on some potential pictures from the Amberg 1926 Tombs prison breakout and potentially some of Meyer Shapiro’s murder, but alas I’ll have to wait until the Archives open back up to follow-up.
Very cool!!!.thank you.
Ismael,
These are truly incredible. The amount of work, and research that went into this is deserves recognition. I truly appreciate it, as the 1920s have always been fascinating to me so it was no problem for me to read every word and study every photo.
I was wondering if you would have access to more? Arnold Rothstein, and Legs Diamond to name a few, would be interesting crime scenes. Both went out in gangland style hits.
Anyways,
Thank you
Thanks for the kind words, Nucky! There is still plenty to go through regarding more potential findings. Before the pandemic shut everything down, I do remember seeing notes that indicate crime photos may exist of the hotel room where Rothstein was shot. Since he was rushed to the hospital and lingered a few days, anything that’s found would likely just be of the room and maybe the murder weapon that was tossed onto the street. Once we’re allowed back on site, I’ll be sure to look into what Rothstein photos have survived . The NYC records I used didn’t include Legs Diamond’s murder since it happened in Albany. If they still exist, they’d likely be at the New York State Archives which I haven’t had the pleasure of researching yet (in due time). I really appreciate your encouraging words and thanks again for reading.
Hi, these are great! Do you happen to have or come across photos or information on Saverio “Sam” Pollaccia? He is of Brooklyn, by way of Sicily, and was connected with Masseria, Anastasia, Yale, Luciano, etc. Any information will be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Nick
Thanks for reading, Nick! In my research, the only thing I’ve seen on Pollaccia was a document referencing pictures still existing of his fingerprints from a 1932 arrest. It appears in all aspects he still remains a shadowy figure, but I’ll keep an eye out on my next Archives visit.
Unbelievable finds, especially the Coll photos. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Please keep us apprised of anything else you can dig up.