As a New York cop 1958

Joe gave LNO an interview last week from his Euless home.

Concerning his career in the New York area, Tozzi said he knew many of the mob types in the area. He was particularly familiar with the Gallo brothers, Joseph 'Crazy Joe', Larry, and Albert 'Kid Blast'. The three brothers had worked for Mafia boss Carlo Gambino.  Rival Mafia figures nicknamed Gallo "Crazy Joe" because of his unpredictable, ruthless nature. In the late 1940s  & early 1950s, Gallo and his brothers, Larry & Albert "Kid Blast," engaged in a mob war against the Joseph Profaci family to gain control of the Brooklyn drug racket. Gallo later continued the war against Joseph Colombo. Realizing the gradual shift in power from Italians to blacks, Gallo made friends with black gang leaders, who helped  him run his rackets. An unknown gunman shot & killed him at a NYC restaurant  on April 7, 1972. 

Tozzi said there was an understanding with the mobsters concerning police officers.  Those officers who were straight and took nothing in favors from the mob were respected.  These officers never feared for the safety of their families.  However, "crooked cops that turned on the mob were fair game, including their family."

Tozzi was involved in a number of national high profile cases.  One of the cases was -- at least for residents of Long Island, New York -- the "crime of the century" when one-month-old Peter Weinberger was kidnapped from his suburban home on July 4, 1956.Click Here to read about this case.

The Weinberger case resulted in new legislation, signed by President Eisenhower, determining the involvement of the FBI in kidnapping cases.  On August 23, 1956 Tozzi and the FBI arrested Angelo LaMarca for the kidnapping of baby Weinberger. He later led them to a field where he said he had left the baby alive.  Tozzi and other law officers undertook a grid search in a field and eventually found the body of the Weinberger baby.  Tozzi said he recalled the condition of the body.  He said that it appeared the baby was not simply left in the field, but apparently the child had been tossed from the kidnapper's car while it was still moving.

On his birthday, June 12, 1955, Tozzi received a call from police headquarters about a mysterious fire at the home of Ivan Jerome.  Jerome, a Russian immigrant, had amassed a fortune in the United States primarily through inventions and his engineering capabilities.  He was said to have been instrumental in the development of the helicopter and invented the automatic record changer for phonographs. He also owned the Farmers Market where he rented booths to vendors that sold cut-rate products to consumers. Jerome was estimated to be worth $22 million and had even had top government security clearances. 

During this period most of the firemen were volunteer in the Long Island, New York villages.  A South Hampton volunteer fireman heard an explosion and alerted the Massapequa Fire Department.  However, by the time the fire department arrived flames were already shooting out of the roof of the mansion. In the midst of fighting the fire, a Cadillac convertible drove up and a man calmly got out of the car and told the firemen that this was his house.  He told the fireman that he had done work for the government and there were very sensitive films in the house.  He offered $500 to any fireman that would retrieve the canisters of films and bring them out.  

The firemen fought the fire all night when it was finally cool enough to examine some of the ruins.  The police had become suspicious of the offer by the mysterious man for the film canisters because he had whispered the instructions to the fireman but never mentioned the matter to the police.  When a charred canister was found, the fireman turned the canister over to the police. Tozzi said they got their hands on a projector and were able to project some of the film on a blank wall. There was no government evidence but there was plenty of  pornographic action of Jerome and up to 20 girls from the ages of 11 to 17 on the film.  

The grand jury returned 60 count indictment against Ivan Jerome. Joe Tozzi said when the warrant for Jerome's arrest was issued he was assigned to bring Jerome in.  Tozzi said he was waiting for him at this front gate.  Jerome drove up and Tozzi walked up to his car and said, "Mr. Jerome, how good to see you."  Jerome snapped back "What do you want?"  Tozzi said well that's not very friendly Mr. Jerome, but what I want is to place you under arrest for 60 counts of felony conduct.  Jerome responded by saying, "you have nothing against me."  At that time Tozzi threw a number of pornographic photos with Jerome and underage girls on the hood of his car.  Jerome said if Tozzi touched him that his guard dogs would attack. Tozzi said he hoped not because he did not want his partner to have to shoot the animals.  At that point Jerome surrendered quietly and was taken to headquarters.

According to Tozzi, Jerome said that it was obvious the police had a case made so he would plead guilty. Jerome, the millionaire inventor and owner of the Massapequa Farmers Market was 59 at the time. The 60 counts included staging filmed sex parties with teenage girls. While awaiting sentencing Jerome was freed on $100,000 bond. He jumped bail and disappeared. There were reports he had been seen everywhere from Russia to South America, but he was never found.

Jerome is seen in the middle of the police car with Joe Tozzi on his left being taken to headquarters. On the right is Ivan Jerome being booked with Tozzi on his left.

Click on photo to enlarge

The Jerome case was a national scandal, featured in the popular police magazines.  Tozzi first became a celebrity as the officer that took Jerome down by his arrest only to have a judge set a bail that Jerome was glad to forfeit in order to escape and retain his freedom somewhere.

In 1958, Tozzi was involved in one of the most bizarre cases in the annals of police history.  The James Hermann house in Seaford, New York received national attention as home of the "Popper Poltergeist."   The Hermann house was famous almost 20 years before that other Long Island home in Amityville haunting had a movie made. Detective Joe Tozzi was dispatched to investigate the weird events at the Hermann household on a full time basis.  Tozzi told LNO he spent 7 to 8 solid weeks on the case, sometimes sleeping in the home, but always close by.  The case of the "house of flying objects" because a national story.

In this 1958 LIFE Magazine, the story of the "house of flying objects" was told.

In the Life Magazine article Detective Joe Tozzi is mentioned often for his professionalism and attempt to uncover the cause of the bizarre flying objects.

To read more details about the "house of flying objects" and the "popper poltergeist" Click Here.

Tozzi said he had very specific memories about the Hermanns and their modest home.  He said he witnessed things that still go unexplained to this day.  Tozzi said he wished he had kept in contact with the Hermanns especially Jimmy Hermann who was 13 years old at the time.  Tozzi said that many of the adults thought Jimmy was pulling pranks and became very agitated at the boy.  Tozzi said he never felt Jimmy was doing anything intentionally, if involved at all.  However, Tozzi pointed out that at one point when he was walking down the basement steps with Jimmy that a bronze horse weighing almost 100 lbs flew across the room and literally into the back of his legs.  Tozzi said he was concerned the objects in the home were taking on a more violent nature and that his job was to protect the family the best he could.

Tozzi said he must have pursued a million different ideas on what was causing the disruption in the house. The name "Popper Poltergeist" came from the unexplained events beginning with tops popping off of every type of bottle imaginable then spilling over. Possible explanations were as far fetched as a Russian submarine off shore causing magnetic field disruption, satellites, planes, water streams under the home, to the need for a chimney cap.  However, to quote the History and Hauntings of America article, "Unbelievably, the Herrmann’s had been visited by detectives, building inspectors, electricians, plumbers, firemen, parapsychologists and half of the “nutcases” on the east coast and yet none of them had been able to present a satisfactory explanation for what had occurred in their home. Weeks after the household returned to normal, “experts” still came to investigate and to theorize about what had taken place. As last at August 1985, the scientists at Duke still had no clue as to what had happened and why."

Tozzi said the events stopped as suddenly as they began. Tozzi said no one has ever been able to give him a solid explanation for what he saw take place in the Hermann home with his own eyes.  He said that one day he opened the front door only to have a bottle of ink fly across the room, do several somersaults on the floor at then stop at his feet and lay still.  He said there was no warmth to the bottle as if someone had held it, no strings, no witnesses and no explanation.  Tozzi said there was one explanation about "psychokinesis" by children.  The above article takes the theory further and states, "that an adolescent child, usually a girl, was almost always among the members of the household being plagued by poltergeist phenomena. They believed it possible that this young person might be capable of psychokinesis during the height of puberty. In every case though, this person might manifest this without knowing, making them as bewildered as the adults around them. In the case of the Herrmann house, James Jr. (according to Detective Tozzi’s notes) was at or near the scene of the poltergeist disturbance more than 75 percent of the time. For many incidents, he was the sole witness. However, the detective had completely cleared the boy of faking or causing any of the disturbances."

The events at the Hermann house were the subject of the Armstrong Circle Theater.  

Tozzi seen here being interviewed on the Armstrong Circle Theater by host Doug Edwards.

The Circle Theater provided live docudramas for its television audience.  Joe Tozzi had a role in the television program playing himself. The following excerpts are from the actual script used in the play, some with handwritten notes.  Click on the scripts to enlarge and read.

Click to photo to enlarge scripts

On a trip to visit relatives in Texas, Tozzi said he feel in love with the area.  After 20 years in the New York area he decided to move to Texas.  Tozzi's experience was tapped by the Dallas Fort Worth Airport Police and Fire to work at the new growing airport.

As part of his airport duties, Joe Tozzi shadowed Governor and Mrs. Connally after there had been a threat against him.  Tozzi can be seen in the middle of the photo. This photo is form the early 1960s prior to the Kennedy assassination.

After service with the DFW Airport Police, Joe Tozzi took the role of Colleyville Police Chief in 1976.  At the time there were 7 Colleyville police officers and 4 dispatchers.

Joe Tozzi in his Colleyville office as Chief of Police.

Joseph Tozzi was the quintessential New York cop who adopted Texas as his home.  He said that in his career as a police officer it was "for the people, always for the people."  Joe will be honored for his lifetime work for the people.  Joe Tozzi will lie in state at the Foust Funeral home on Main Street in Grapevine on Sunday, visiting hours are from 4pm until 7pm.  His funeral will be at Foust at 9 am on Monday morning.

Rest in peace Joe, you have served the people well.

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Appearing at Colleyville's City Park - Celebrate Colleyville
December 6, 2003 @ 7:30 PM

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