The location where Frank DeCicco was killed

This is the location where a car bomb killed mobster Frank DeCicco.

It is situated at 1455 86th Street in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.

At the time of the murder, it was a car dealership called Baron Buick. These days, it is an AutoZone Auto Parts store.

DeCicco, who was nicknamed "Frankie D" and "Frankie Cheech," was a soldier in the Gambino crime family.

During the 1970s, he rose through the ranks of the organization as a protégé of crime boss Paul Castellano.

In 1983, Castellano instructed DeCicco to arrange the murder of a fearsome Gambino soldier named Roy DeMeo. At the time, there were fears that DeMeo might flip, as it was common knowledge that he was the target of a large federal investigation.

After failing to find someone brave enough to carry out the contract, DeCicco approached two hitmen in DeMeo's crew and coerced them into killing their own boss.

By the mid-1980s, DiCicco, like many members of the Gambino crime family, had grown tired of Castellano's leadership. Believing that it was time for a change, he conspired with John Gotti and other senior figures to assassinate "Big Paul" outside of Sparks Steak House in Manhattan.

Following the murder, Gotti took control of the family. Meanwhile, DiCicco was appointed as the new underboss.

The coup was deeply unpopular with the bosses of the Genovese and Lucchese families, as the hit on Castellano had not been sanctioned.

To kill a boss, you needed the authorization of the Commission, which was the main governing body of the Italian-American mafia. However, in this case, Gotti and DiCicco had completely sidestepped the usual protocols.

The punishment for such an act was death. As a result, a contract was put on their heads.

The bombing was orchestrated by the boss of the Genovese family, Vincent Gigante, who was reportedly incensed by Castellano's murder. In his mind, an unsanctioned hit against the official boss of a family could not go unpunished.

Gigante was known as a traditionalist who typically stuck to old-school mob values. Interestingly, it appears as though he used this reputation to his advantage.

By the mid-1980s, car bombs had fallen out of favor with the mafia due to the risk of killing innocent civilians. However, for the hit on Gotti and DeCicco, Gigante specifically ordered his men to use an explosive device because he knew that killing them in such a manner would divert suspicions away from the Genovese family.

On Sunday, April 13th, 1986, DeCicco attended a meeting at the Veterans & Friends Social Club, which was a Gambino hangout across the street from the car dealership.

The club was run by a Gambino capo named James "Jimmy Brown" Failla. Also present that day was Lucchese soldier Frank Bellino, who ran various union scams.

As the meeting came to a close, Bellino asked DeCicco for some business cards. Because the cards were in DeCicco's car, Bellino agreed to accompany him outside.

When the pair walked across the street and reached the vehicle, DeCicco got into the passenger seat to search for the cards. Meanwhile, Bellino stood on the sidewalk.

Unbeknownst to the two men, a Genovese hitman and former US Army munitions expert named Herbie "Blue Eyes" Pate had planted a C4 bomb underneath the front of the vehicle.

When DiCicco got into the passenger seat to search for a business card, Pate detonated the device using a remote control.

The blast turned the Buick into a fireball and shattered nearby windows.

DiCicco was killed instantly, while Bellino was left with serious, lifelong injuries.

It is believed that Pate mistook Bellino for Gotti, who was also supposed to be at the meeting that day. However, Gotti avoided death by changing his plans at the last moment.