Salvatore Testa - Early Life

Early Life

Born in 1956 in Southwest Philadelphia, Testa was the son of Philip "Chicken Man" Testa a member of the Philadelphia family that served under Angelo Bruno and Alfia Arcidiacono (1926–1980). He had one sister Maria born 1954 who managed a Center City, Philadelphia nightclub and restaurant. In 1974 he graduated from Saint John Neumann High School (Pennsylvania) and had been sheltered from organized crime activity as a youth. His sister Maria married Scarfo mob associate and 'front man' Robert Sheeran who was listed as the officer of ETTENAJ Corporation which held the liquor license for Phil's restaurant Virgilio's along with Frank Narducci Sr.'s sister-in-law Jeanette Hearn. In 1978, Maria became the sole corporate officer. Seven months following the murder of Phil, the liquor license was sold. Their father Philip was promoted to underboss after Ignazio Danaro, died of old age, in turn Phil promoted drug trafficker Peter Casella to fill his role as underboss. He had an office in the back of the restaurant out of which he operated his legitimate and illegitimate business enterprises. Testa's mother Alfia died of natural causes in 1980, in that same year, in March 1980, longtime family boss Angelo Bruno was murdered and Testa's father became boss by unanimous decision from the National Crime Syndicate and the support of the crime family itself in 1981. The death of his father's predecessor, Angelo Bruno triggered a violent civil war in the family between factions loyal to Harry Riccobene and Nicodemo Scarfo, who controlled the family's Atlantic City, New Jersey operations. He was a ruggedly handsome 210-pound man who stood 6 feet tall with hazel eyes and real long lashes and dimpled cheeks. He has a close physical resemblance to the actor Peter DeLuise. He wore his wavy hair out over his ears in typical 1970s fashion and was known to wear track suits and double breasted suits, he enjoyed wearing a 10-gallon cowboy hat and leather cowboy boots. He reportedly had dark emotionless eyes and gave off the appearance of a great white shark with a scowl that made press photographers back away from him when looking to get his picture. Some crime writers have compared Testa to Christopher Walken's character Frank White in King of New York. He attended Temple University, a university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for a year, and then went into the real estate business. Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Susan Caba said that Salvatore had a narrow, solemn face like that of his sister Maria.