On the feast day of Saint Francesco di Paola, Masseria went out for lunch with his chief lieutenant, one Salvatore Lucania. They dined on a sumptuous lunch at Gerardo Scarpato s restaurant on Coney Island. Masseria was a gourmand. He once said that he preferred a great cook, however fat and unattractive, to a sexy dame. After lunch, Lucania went to the bathroom, and Masseria went to heaven, courtesy of a group of men who strode into the dining room and filled him with lead.
Different sources claim different killers.
Joseph Valachi, the mob turncoat said they were Vito Genovese, Frank Livorsi and Joe Stracci. According to author Giuseppe Selvaggi, the assassins were Albert Anastasia, Joe Adonis and Bugsy Siegal. The man who set up the hit, and was there when it happened, Lucania aka Charlie Lucky Luciano said those three plus Vito Genovese did the shooting. It was just another unsolved gangland killing. Mobsters killing mobsters.