An 86-year-old man allegedly decapitated by a Department of Transportation (DOT) truck June 12 was identified as New York mobster Anthony Conigliaro, known as “Tony Cakes” or “Tony the Dessert Man,” according to the New York Post.
Conigliaro’s lawyers and a law-enforcement source confirmed the elderly man’s identity after a video of his apparent death went viral, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Police Baffled After Finding Human Skull Chained To Exercise Equipment: REPORT)
“He spent his life looking over his shoulder but he forgot to look both ways before crossing the street,” the outlet reported, citing a police source.
🇺🇸GENOVESE MOBSTER ‘TONY CAKES’ DECAPITATED BY NYC DOT TRUCK
Anthony Conigliaro, 86, an alleged former Genovese crime family captain known as “Tony Cakes,” was decapitated by a city DOT truck in Brooklyn on June 12.
Conigliaro, who lived quietly in Bay Ridge, was hit at a… pic.twitter.com/uNYcRoplBp
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) June 21, 2024
Surveillance video appearing to capture the incident was posted Wednesday to X (formerly known as Twitter). Conigliaro could be seen crossing a street before a large DOT truck appears to make a right turn directly into the former mobster.
The impact reportedly caused the decapitation of Conigliaro, as his head could be seen laying feet away from his body, according to the New York Post. Video of the aftermath appears to show authorities on the scene with the truck’s alleged driver — seen sitting in the middle of the road while someone appears to be attempting to console him — visibly distraught over the incident.
“We miss him. Everybody misses him,” one of Conigliaro’s neighbors told the New York Post, adding how the 86-year-old used to look out for others.
In 2005, Conigliaro was accused by Brooklyn federal prosecutors for being a loan shark to one of New York’s infamous Italian-American mafia families, the Genovese crime family, according to the New York Post. Conigliaro later pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge and received a 13-month sentence, the outlet reported.
The former mobster was also arrested in 1999 for criminal usury and in 2006 for a grand larceny case which has since been sealed, according to the NY Post.
Authorities are still investigating the incident, according to the outlet. It is unclear if charges will be brought against the driver.
