Nearly a century after his death, an NYPD detective is being remembered and honored for his gallant service to the city.
During the Roaring Twenties, the mafia ran roughshod over a very different New York, but one man took it upon himself to take on the dangerous world of organized crime and made headlines along the way — yet the true extent of his law enforcement gumption was lost to time.
Detective Joseph Pucciano had been resting in Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery after succumbing to tuberculosis in 1928, however, he has been doing so in an unmarked grave. His final resting place may have remained a mystery were it not for the Detectives’ Endowment Association, who discovered his burial site when they gave his partner, Bernardino Grottano, who was shot and killed in 1924, a headstone himself.
The pair had been buried beside one another in unmarked graves because their widows could not afford a gravestone at the time of their demise.
Hailing from Calabria, Italy, Pucciano became known as the “Italian Sherlock Holmes,” making headlines in the early 20th century for investigating and taking down members of the mob. Reportedly, Pucciano’s time on the job resulted in the imprisonment of some 40 mobsters known for their vicious violence and murders.
“He was a tough, seasoned, smart, savvy investigator, and he was dubbed in the press as the master detective,” President of the Detectives’ Endowment Association Scott Munro said.
Dozens of Pucciano’s descendants and cops of the present day attended the May 20 ceremony, during which the late detective’s grave was finally adorned with an official headstone. The day was an eye-opening one for the detective’s great-grandson, Craig Pittman from Atlanta, who said he knew that his relative was a police officer but did not know the full extent of his work.
“I didn’t know if he gave, like, parking tickets, but now I know that he was taking down the mob,” Pittman said, adding his thanks to the NYPD for keeping their pledge to never forget. “This is what’s magical about America. It’s a family, but it’s more than a brotherhood, it’s family.”
Now, a portrait of Pucciano, along with his badge, name, and the words “Fidelis Ad Mortem, End of Watch, July 16, 1928,” officially marks his final resting place for all to remember and recognize the sacrifices he made while serving his city.
