Neil Della Croce, a feared captain in the Gambino crime family, once had a bitter rivalry with a Genovese mobster who had twice saved his life. Federal records indicate that Peter DeFeo, known as the mayor of Little Italy, and Della Croce fell out in 1963 after one of them stopped several murders the other had planned. Before their feud, the two mobsters from different families were close associates. Della Croce operated out of the infamous Ravenite Social Club on Mulberry Street, while DeFeo ran the Alto Knights Social Club on Kenmare Street, just a few blocks away.
Contrary to what some sources claim, these were two separate locations, not the same club under different names. The trouble between the men began after the assassination of Albert Anastasia in 1957. The crime family split into factions, with one side backing Carlo Gambino and the other remaining loyal to the slain boss. Della Croce was part of the pro-Anastasia faction, and a contract was reportedly placed on his life by the opposing side.
According to an FBI file, Della Croce was shot at by Anastasia’s killers but managed to escape. He then reached out to DeFeo, who settled the matter and had the contract cancelled. As one document recorded, an informant said DeFeo saved the life of Aniello Della Croce on that occasion. DeFeo’s help continued in September 1961, when Della Croce was attacked while dining at the Luna Restaurant in Lower Manhattan.
Members of the Gallo crew beat and kicked him savagely, and he suffered severe injuries. According to an FBI file, he would have been killed if some of Vito Genovese’s soldiers had not intervened and stopped the attack. A recorded conversation between Gambino mobster Frank Baranca and Genovese mobster Mike Clemente touched on the incident. Clemente said, “If it wasn’t for a couple of guys with us that’s with Pete DeFeo, the old man would have been killed.
If they weren’t there, they would have killed him on the floor. ” He confirmed that the men who intervened belonged to DeFeo’s crew. The pair remained close enough that they reportedly met regularly at each other’s social clubs. But that changed in 1963.
One FBI file described the falling out as a “big beef” between DeFeo and a boss named Neil. According to the informant, either DeFeo or Della Croce had arranged a contract to kill several people, and the other had the contract set aside, creating very bad feelings between the two. The FBI further reported that Della Croce was considered a hothead who insulted people who were not part of his own crew. When those insults were reported back to DeFeo or Tommy Ryan, both men became upset with Della Croce.
That behavior reportedly contributed to the deepening rift. The feud between the two men became part of their legend in the Little Italy neighborhood. Some later sources indicate that, over time, DeFeo and Della Croce eventually put their differences aside.