For about two decades in the early 20th century, a small Sicilian mafia family operated in Newark, New Jersey. Then it vanished so completely that its existence is still being pieced together by researchers today. New Jersey is commonly associated with the DeCavalcante crime family, known to the wider public through fictional portrayals like The Sopranos. But historically, the state was home to two distinct mafia organizations: the Elizabeth family, which became the DeCavalcantes, and a separate Newark family that eventually disappeared.
In a recent conversation, mob historian Scott Deitche discussed the mysterious Newark family, a subject he has researched for years and covered in his book Garden State Gangland. Deitche, who also authored a new biography of Genovese powerhouse Jerry Catena titled Jersey Boss, noted that the family lasted only roughly 20 years before folding. Interest in the Newark family has grown in just the last decade and a half, according to Deitche. Early members included Jasper D’Amico, Sam Monaco, and Stefano Badami, the latter of whom later became associated with the DeCavalcante family.
Another figure, Vincenzo Troia, arrived in Newark with ties to the Rockford, Illinois family and became a notable voice during the era of Salvatore Maranzano before being killed in 1935. The family began unraveling by 1937 or 1938. Some members joined other organizations, including the Colombo family in New York. A measure of the Newark group’s obscurity can be seen in the fact that no informants ever provided a definitive account of its structure, leaving researchers to rely on inference, wiretap mentions of an old “Newark Brigade,” and family connections traced through genealogical records.
Tensions with rivals, including the operation run by Richie “the Boot” Boiardo, contributed to the violence that thinned the Newark family’s ranks. Gasper D’Amico stepped back after an attack that also involved his father. Other members sought protection under New York families. Although the Newark family itself dissolved, its echoes lingered.
In 1955, Stefano Badami was shot and killed at a clam bar in Newark by the brother of Sam Monaco, the man who had served as the Newark family’s underboss. That killing, 20 years after the family’s collapse, signaled longstanding grudges that had spread into the wider New York-New Jersey mafia world. Deitche pointed out that the family remains difficult to study because of how early it disbanded. He recalled first encountering references to it in Bill Bonanno’s book, a source he described as containing inconsistencies and errors, which initially made him question whether the Newark family was real.
In the years since, however, researchers have uncovered increasingly detailed information, and Deitche suggested a full book on the subject may eventually emerge. In his latest project, Jersey Boss, Deitche takes a different approach to mob biography. The book traces Jerry Catena’s rise while also devoting a chapter to the question of who Catena was as a person.
Drawing on interviews with family members, acquaintances, and wiretap material, Deitche highlighted an unusual detail: in the 1940s, Catena appeared in newspapers frequently, not for criminal activity, but for golf, as he was a successful amateur player.