In a tragic incident, 86-year-old Anthony Conigliaro, a former New York mobster known as “Tony Cakes,” was allegedly decapitated by a Department of Transportation (DOT) truck on June 12. The New York Post confirmed his identity through his lawyers and law enforcement sources.
Surveillance footage of the incident went viral after being posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. The video shows Conigliaro crossing the street when a large DOT truck makes a right turn, hitting him. The impact reportedly caused his decapitation, with his head seen lying several feet away from his body.
Police are still investigating the incident, and it is unclear if charges will be brought against the driver, who appeared visibly distraught at the scene. Authorities were seen consoling the driver, who was sitting in the middle of the road.
Conigliaro’s criminal history includes being accused in 2005 of loan sharking for the Genovese crime family, one of New York’s infamous Italian-American mafia families. He pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge and served a 13-month sentence. He was also arrested in 1999 for criminal usury and in 2006 for grand larceny.
Despite his past, Conigliaro’s neighbors remembered him fondly. “We miss him. Everybody misses him,” one neighbor told the New York Post, noting how Conigliaro looked out for others in the community.
The former mobster spent his life evading danger but tragically met his end in an unexpected and gruesome manner. As investigations continue, the circumstances surrounding the accident and the future of the driver remain uncertain.
