On this date in 1930, Dominick "The Ape" Passelli, described as a ranking member of Newark mob boss Richard Boiardo's gang, walked into the Newark General Hospital with a slight scalp wound. He claimed he had had an accident but in reality his head had been creased by a bullet. He was on the spot.
The staff patched him up and told him he could go on his way. "No, if it's all right with you, I think I'll stay here a couple of days." He told them. He was given room 33 where he received a few visitors, two men, around three o'clock. They stayed a short time then left.
A few minutes after six two men entered the hospital and, according to different stories, it was the same two men from earlier or two new men who made there way upstairs and asked where they could find room no. 33.
Also depending on who wrote the story one man stood at the door while the other fired, or both fired. The end result was the same; The Ape caught two bullets in the head and was killed.
At the time of the murder long time Newark gangland adversaries Longy Zwillman and Richard Boiardo supposedly had a peace pact so police didn't feel that it was rival gangsters that killed him. Since some reports stated the Ape's killers were his visitors from earlier, it was suggested that he was done in by his own gang. There was also a theory that he was muscling in on the grape racket
Dominick "The Ape" Passelli
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