In the late 1970s, a growing feud between two powerful New Jersey mobsters from rival crime families threatened to spark a violent conflict on the waterfront. Joseph “Joe Bayonne” Zicarelli was a respected Bonanno crime family figure based in New Jersey. He had served as a soldier in the crew of Carmine Galante and acted as Galante’s captain during Galante’s incarceration in the early 1960s. While some sources list Zicarelli as a captain, others maintain he was actually a powerful and respected soldier rather than an official captain.
His adversary, John DiGilio, was an influential Genovese crime family gangster on the New Jersey waterfront. Like Zicarelli, DiGilio is often incorrectly described as a captain. In reality, he was a feared Genovese soldier who commanded a large crew of associates. A former professional boxer, DiGilio had a reputation for aggression and was known to be a money maker and a killer who carried out multiple contract hits.
The tension between the two men centered on a card game operating at the Briarcliff Apartments in Cliffside Park, New Jersey. According to FBI files, the game was run with permission connected to Zicarelli’s network, with a man named Claude Hammond operating it for Angelo Salvo, who was close to Zicarelli. The game reportedly earned well, but DiGilio had put a claim on it worth approximately five to eight percent of the total pot, or $2,000 to $3,000 per night. FBI sources warned that DiGilio’s claim on the game could cause a showdown between him and Bayonne Joe.
The dispute went deeper than the card game. Zicarelli was attempting to collect money owed to him before he went to jail, but some of those debtors now reported to DiGilio. As one FBI file noted, Zicarelli was trying to push back into his territory in Hudson County and was feuding with DiGilio over that territory. The pressure Zicarelli applied to individuals who were now under DiGilio caused a great amount of dissension.
The two men had significant history. According to newspaper reports, DiGilio began his mob career as an associate of Zicarelli in the 1960s, involved in loan sharking and strong-arm activities. But in 1969, DiGilio split from Zicarelli and took control of illicit activity in Bayonne. When Zicarelli was sent to prison in 1971, DiGilio assumed full power by viciously removing Zicarelli’s closest associates and replacing them with his own men.
A 14-page state police document implicated DiGilio in more than a dozen killings and mysterious disappearances between 1967 and 1980, including four murders connected to the power struggle during which he switched allegiance from the Bonanno to the Genovese organization under Alphonse “Funzi” Tieri. DiGilio was officially inducted into the Genovese crime family in early 1976 when Mafia membership books reopened, alongside mobsters Tino Fiumara and Venero “Benny Eggs” Mangano. By the late 1970s, the history between the two men was deep. In addition to muscling in on Zicarelli’s card game, DiGilio was reportedly strong-arming local loan sharks into his own operation.
FBI files described these moves as an effort by the DiGilio operation to strengthen its position in Hudson County in the event of a confrontation with Zicarelli. To resolve the dispute, a meeting was held at DJ’s Restaurant in Fairview, New Jersey. FBI files say Zicarelli attended, along with several others, but DiGilio did not show up and sent representatives instead. No agreements were reached and there were hard feelings at the end of the meeting.
Around the same time, DeCavalcante family mobster John Riggi allegedly teamed up with Zicarelli to make a move on DiGilio’s union operations. According to FBI files, Riggi and Zicarelli approached an individual in Jersey City, but that person rejected their advances and stated he was with DiGilio and planned to remain so. Ultimately, senior figures from both the Bonanno and Genovese families stepped in. DiGilio was ordered to hand back the operations he had muscled away from Zicarelli.
According to one FBI file, Zicarelli had gotten all his illegal operations back from DiGilio. However, the file also noted word on the street that some anticipated an organized crime war in the summer. Despite those fears, there is no record of anything actually transpiring. The hot-headed DiGilio evidently let the issue rest.
Nearly a decade later, in 1988, DiGilio’s rebellious nature landed him in serious trouble with his Genovese superiors and he was murdered.