Jan. 31, 1962 - Seven members of the Gallo gang rescued six children today in Brooklyn when a fire in a mattress filled a top-floor apartment at 73 President Street with smoke. The gang’s headquarters is at 51 President Street. The seven gangsters had just left a nearby restaurant when they saw smoke pouring from the apartment, which is occupied by Mrs. Sista Biaz and her six children (pictured with three members of the Gallo gang). Mrs. Biaz was shopping and the children apparently set fire to a mattress by playing with matches. The men rushed into the apartment and smothered the fire with their jackets. One of the youngsters, Evelyn, 5, had burned hair, but all the other youngsters were carried to safety without injury. The men who made the rescue were Larry Gallo, 31, who inhaled smoke but refused treatment; Albert J. Gallo, 32; Frank Illiano, 34; Anthony Abbatemarco, 39; Alfonso Serantonio, 22; Leonard Dell, 37, and John Commarato, 37. Said Mrs. Biaz: “They saved the lives of my children.” Said Battalion Fire Chief Alexander Steler: “They had the fire out and the kids out — a very good job.” Said the Police Department’s Assistant Chief Inspector Raymond Martin, cautiously: “Well, I hope the police have made them into decent citizens.”
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