On a sweltering summer evening in East Harlem on July 28, 1931, five-year-old Michael Vengalli was playing with his older brother Salvatore and other children on the street. The Italian neighborhood was bustling with families seeking refuge from the oppressive heat in their tenement apartments. At approximately 6:30 p.m., the innocence of the evening was shattered by a volley of gunfire that erupted from a passing car.
The hail of bullets was not intended for the children, but rather for a bootlegger named Joey Rao who was the actual target of the gangland hit.
The perpetrators, associates of the notorious gangster Vincent 'Mad Dog' Coll, opened fire in a crowded public space, displaying a reckless disregard for the lives of innocent bystanders. While Rao managed to escape the attack unharmed, the consequences for the children playing nearby were devastating. Michael Vengalli was struck by the gunfire and was later pronounced dead at Beth David Hospital. His brother Salvatore was also wounded in the attack, along with three other children: Michael Bevilacqua, Samuel Divino, and Flora D'Amelia.
The brazen and tragic nature of the shooting, which became known as the 'baby killing,' sparked widespread public outrage. In the aftermath, a massive manhunt was launched for those responsible. Vincent 'Mad Dog' Coll and another mobster, Frank Giordano, were eventually arrested and stood trial for Michael Vengalli's murder. Despite the evidence against them, both men were ultimately acquitted of the crime, and no one was ever convicted for the young boy's death. Coll himself would meet a violent end the following year, gunned down in a phone booth in February 1932.
