Salvatore D'Aquila's 1928 gravestone rests in a crowded part of St. John's Cemetery. D'Aquila was an early boss of what would become the Gambino family.
Far from the unpredictable and dangerous life of the mob, more than 20 infamous gangsters rest beneath majestic tombstones or lie in glimmering vaults in the vast stillness of St. John's Cemetery in Middle Village.
The likes of Joseph Profaci, Joe Colombo, John Dioguardi and most recently, John Gotti, share a resting place here.
Families of the deceased mobsters often choose to have their loved ones buried there, according to Frank DeRosa, spokesman for the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens.
"Cemeteries are close to where families reside," he said. "So they have easy access."
A majority of the mobsters were born in New York or became residents here, so they are buried near their homes with extended family, according to Beth Santore, Webmaster of the Grave Addiction Web site, which posts photos of cemeteries.
"Many of the mobsters buried at St. John's Cemetery are Italian, and most were raised Roman Catholic," she said. "I'm sure that was probably what started the tradition of being buried in the St. John's Catholic Cemetery."
The mobsters may be resting side-by-side now, but the big bosses didn't always get along while alive.
Salvatore Luciano, better known as Charles "Lucky" Luciano, considered the father of organized crime, ordered the murder of Salvatore Maranzano, another early Mafia boss, in 1931. Luciano died in 1962 from a heart attack. Their graves are in the same section of the 130-year-old cemetery, with Luciano resting in an imposing cubical stone room, while Maranzano's grave features a simple tombstone with an engraved cross.
"You'll even find that there is competition amongst rivals in cemeteries," Santore said.
The large number of mafiosi resting in one spot may concern others who have loved ones buried at the cemetery. But cemeteries might not have a choice, said Jim Tipton, founder of the Find a Grave Web site, which lists millions of grave records for celebrities and non-celebs alike, including those of the mobsters interred at St. John's Cemetery.
"If you buy property in a cemetery, it doesn't matter who you are," Tipton said. "Plots are often purchased long before people are known as gangsters."
