Murder on the NY Central Express

In 1931 the New York Central Rail Road had an elevated train that ran up Park Avenue. On this date as the 6:15 was passing overhead Harlem pedestrians were shocked to see a man fall from tracks.

At first it was considered a freak accident until the Doctor performing the autopsy discovered that the dead man, David Mazzer, had actually been shot behind the left ear, the bullet exiting through his right cheek. For the first time in gangland history someone had been taken for a “train ride”.

Once the police learned that the death was actually a murder Mazzer’s fingerprints were taken and it was found that the dead man had quite an extensive record. Mazzer spent a large amount of his adulthood behind bars. He was arrested in 1912 for robbery and sent to Sing Sing for seven years. Upon his release he was arrested for burglary and sent back for another two years. This sentence was followed by another four year stretch for another burglary charge and then he went back yet again for another two years in 1926 for attempted burglary.

Amazingly Mazzer’s bad luck with the law doesn’t stop there. He was arrested again in 1928 for illegal entry and larceny but this time jumped bail and was next arrested in Philadelphia for cracking a safe but again he jumped bail. He remained free until he was picked up again in New York on October 11, 1930.