Salvatore "Salvie" Testa (March 31, 1956 – September 14, 1984), nicknamed "The Crowned Prince of the Philadelphia Mob", was an Italian-American mobster who served as a

caporegime A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to capo or informally referred to as "captain" or "skipper", is a rank used in the Mafia (both the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia) for a ''made member'' of an Italian crime family who head ...

and later acting

underboss Underboss ( it, sottocapo) is a position within the leadership structure of certain organized crime groups, particularly in Sicilian, Greek, and Italian-American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss. The underbo ...

for the

Philadelphia crime family The Philadelphia crime family, also known as the Philadelphia Mafia, the Philly Mob or Philly Mafia, the Philadelphia-South Jersey Mafia, or Bruno-Scarfo family is an Italian-American Mafia family based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed and ...

. Testa made his reputation as a

hitman Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...

for the Philadelphia family during a period of internal gang conflict. The son of former boss Philip “The Chicken Man” Testa, Salvatore Testa was an emerging figure in the mob until he was killed on the orders of boss

Nicodemo Scarfo Nicodemo Domenico "Little Nicky" Scarfo Sr. (March 8, 1929 – January 13, 2017) was a member of the American Mafia who became the boss of the Philadelphia crime family after the deaths of Angelo Bruno and Phil Testa. During his criminal car ...

Biography

Born on March 31, 1956, in

Southwest Philadelphia Southwest Philadelphia (formerly Kingsessing Township) is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The section can be described as extending from the western side of the Schuylkill River to the city line, with the SEPTA. The nort ...

, Testa was the son of Alfia Arcidiacono (1926–1980) and Philip "Chicken Man" Testa (1924–1981), a member of the Philadelphia family that served under

Angelo Bruno Angelo Bruno (born Angelo Annaloro; ; (May 21, 1910 – March 21, 1980) was a Sicilian Americans, Sicilian-American mobster, notable for being boss of the Philadelphia crime family for two decades until his assassination. Bruno was known as "the ...

. In 1974 he graduated from Saint John Neumann High School and he attended

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

for a year, and then went into the real estate business. Testa had one sister, Maria, who managed a Center City nightclub and restaurant. In March 1980, longtime family boss

was murdered and Testa's father became boss. The death of Bruno triggered a violent civil war in the family between factions loyal to

Harry Riccobene Harry "The Hunchback" Riccobene (July 27, 1909 – June 19, 2000) was a high-ranking member of the Philadelphia crime family who became a major figure in the Scarfo-Riccobene gang war that followed the 1981 death of boss Philip Testa. He was bo ...

and

, who controlled the family's

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

operations. On March 15, 1981, Testa's father returned to his home in

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south and the Schuylkill River to the west.Stephen Girard Park. As he was opening the door to his home, a

nail bomb A nail bomb is an anti-personnel explosive device containing nails to increase its effectiveness at harming victims. The nails act as shrapnel, leading almost certainly to more injury in inhabited areas than the explosives alone would. A nail ...

exploded under his front porch. His death was allegedly ordered by his underboss and drug trafficker Peter Casella and capo Frank Narducci Sr., which later resulted in Narducci being gunned down and Casella being banished from the Mob and fleeing to Florida. Scarfo took over the crime family following Philip Testa's death, and he promoted

Salvatore Merlino Salvatore "Chuckie" Merlino (June 29, 1939 – October 22, 2012) was an American mobster who was a member of the Philadelphia crime family. He served as underboss for Nicodemo Scarfo from 1981 to 1986. Biography Merlino was born on June 29, 1939, ...

to underboss. On July 31, 1982, Salvatore Testa was wounded near his home in the Italian Market section by shotgun blasts fired from a speeding car. In 1984, Testa broke off his engagement to Merlino's daughter. Enraged, Merlino got permission from Scarfo to murder Testa, despite him being a loyal member of the crime family. However, Merlino developed a drinking problem, which caused Scarfo to demote Merlino and cut off ties with him.

Death and aftermath

In 1984, Scarfo ordered the death of Testa, one of his capos and his top hitman, as Testa's ambition and growing popularity made Scarfo feel threatened. On September 14, 1984, Testa was found shot to death at the side of a road in

Gloucester Township, New Jersey Gloucester Township is a township in Camden County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township had a total population of 64,634, reflecting an increase of 284 (+0.4%) from the 64,350 counted in the 2000 census. The township ranke ...

. About 300 people attended Testa's funeral procession on September 20, 1984, at St. Paul's Catholic Church in Philadelphia's Italian Market section. He was interred alongside his father, Philip, and mother, Alfia, at the family plot at Holy Cross Cemetery in

Yeadon, Pennsylvania Yeadon is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It borders the city of Philadelphia. The population was 11,443 at the 2010 census. Geography Yeadon is located in eastern Delaware County at (39.932862, -75.251540). It is bordered on the sou ...

. As a result of Salvatore Testa's murder, Scarfo gained a reputation for disloyalty, and several criminal organizations across the United States began to distrust him.

References

*Anastasia, George, ''Blood and Honor: Inside the Scarfo Mob - The Mafia's Most Violent Family'' (2004) *Caba, Susan The Slaying of Testa, from a Sister's View May 3, 1988 Philadelphia Inquirer

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Testa, Salvatore 1956 births 1984 deaths Philadelphia crime family People murdered by the Philadelphia crime family Mafia hitmen Murdered American gangsters of Sicilian descent Deaths by firearm in Pennsylvania People murdered in Pennsylvania