In the early hours of a June morning in South Philadelphia, the excitement of a Flyers Stanley Cup Finals game turned to tragedy for Rocco Maniscalco, a 38-year-old white male. On June 10, 2010, after watching the game with his wife at the Wolf Street Cafe, just a block from his home, he walked home alone. As he approached his rowhouse on the 1700 block of Wolf Street, an assailant stepped out of the shadows and opened fire, shooting him multiple times before fleeing.
His wife, Danielle,
was still at the cafe when their 13-year-old son called her after hearing the gunshots. She and two of their older children were met with the horrific scene of their husband and father lying dead on the ground. Philadelphia Police officers responded to the scene at 1:04 a.m., where Maniscalco was found with multiple gunshot wounds and pronounced dead by medics. Investigators quickly determined that robbery was not the motive, as he had $1,800 in cash on him when he was killed. The execution-style slaying, carried out with a 9mm handgun, had all the hallmarks of a professional hit.
The investigation into Rocco Maniscalco's murder has remained open and active for over a decade, yet no arrests have been made. Eyewitnesses provided a scant description of the shooter: a thin, white, middle-aged man who fled in a dark SUV. Detectives have explored several potential motives connected to Maniscalco's various dealings. He owned an auto body shop, New Era Collision, and was involved in the often-contentious towing business. Beyond his legitimate work, he was also a bookie and was allegedly involved in drug dealing.
A significant focus of the investigation has been on potential connections to organized crime. Maniscalco was the great-nephew of infamous Philadelphia mobster Harry 'The Hunchback' Riccobene. At the time of his death, he was reportedly in conflict with leaders of the Bruno-Scarfo crime family. According to his widow and sister, Maniscalco had been receiving pressure to pay a 'street tax' to the mob. His sister specifically mentioned that associates of imprisoned mobster George Borgesi had threatened her brother in an attempt to extort money from him. In addition to his troubles with the mob, Maniscalco was also said to have been in a dispute over an unpaid $60,000 gambling debt with a group of drug dealers not affiliated with the mafia. Despite these strong leads and the ongoing efforts of law enforcement, the case remains unsolved, leaving his family, including his four children, still searching for justice.
