Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino Park

Description

Petrosino Square, located at the intersection of Little Italy, the Bowery, Chinatown, and SoHo, honors NYPD Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino (1860–1909). Known for combating organized crime, Petrosino formed the Italian Squad, targeting the Black Hand organization. Killed while on duty in Sicily, he remains the only NYPD officer to die outside the U.S. In 1987, Kenmare Square was renamed for him. Renovated in 2009, the square features commemorative markers, including a relief of Petrosino and NYPD insignias, by sculptor Carter Jones.

Renovation, 2009

Factoids

Apr 14, 1903 -The Barrel Murder. Benedetto Madonia, one of The Clutch Hand’s counterfeiters, was stabbed to death, stuffed into a barrel and unceremoniously dumped on East 11th Street as a gangland message. However, the message proved to be too strong and both the Secret Service and Joseph Petrosino, a rising star in the NYPD, would be on Morello’s trail, ultimately bringing about his downfall.Hoping to smash Morello’s counterfeiting ring and solve the Barrel Murder, the Secret Service and Joe Petrosino pounced on Petto the Ox and Giuseppe Morello on the corner of Bowery and Delancey Street. The Mafiosi were armed to the teeth with daggers and licensed revolvers. Unfortunately, the charges did not stick to Morello, but a pawn ticket for Benedetto Madonia’s watch linked Petto the Ox to the Barrel Murder. The mafia enforcer disappeared while on bail and was never imprisoned for the crime.

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The old New York City Police Headquarters-The Italian Squad, led initially by Lt. Joseph Petrosino and later by Michel Fiaschetti, was a specialized NYPD unit based at 240 Centre Street. Tasked with combating organized crime, particularly the Mafia and the Black Hand extortion rings, the squad was instrumental in addressing crime in New York's Italian-American communities. Under Fiaschetti, it continued operations well into Prohibition and pioneered the nation’s first bomb squad to protect shopkeepers targeted by extortionists. Their legacy marked a critical phase in early law enforcement innovation.

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