Tomasso Petto

Who was Tomasso Petto?

Tommaso "The Ox" Petto was a New York mobster and leading hitman in the Morello crime family during the early 1900s.

Born around 1879, Petto lived in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. His nickname "The Ox" came from his massive head and frame. Petto's nominal profession was that of a suit presser, but his real job was working for the Morello family. The Morello family was a Sicilian clan in Manhattan that became infamous for killing their rivals, stuffing them in barrels, and leaving them on street corners.

On April 15, 1903, after a violent fight with New York Police Department detectives, Petto was arrested for the murder of Benedetto Madonia, one of the so-called "Barrel Murders". The police found a pawn ticket belonging to Madonia in Petto's possession. Petto was arraigned and held at the New York City Central Jail, known as "the Tombs", pending an inquest. However, jail officials released Petto by mistake and he disappeared from New York. Petto eventually resurfaced in Pennsylvania, where he became involved in criminal activities with a Black Hand gang in the Scranton, Pennsylvania area.