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Portrait of Vincent Coll

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Born in Ireland · Nationalities American, Irish — organised crime / gangs / homicides / extortion

Vincent Coll

Organised crime and cartels

Documented profile covering 7 controversies, including “1 February 1932: Attempted assassination of Coll — three killed in his absence” and “8 February 1932: Coll murdered in telephone booth during extortion conflict”.

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Profile No. 2143 · Updated on 12 October 2026

Portrait of Vincent Coll

Photo: Wikimedia Commons
7Documented controversies+ 2 background events
5Sources
0Conviction

§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology

I. Documented controversies

01

1932-02-01

1 February 1932: Attempted assassination of Coll — three killed in his absence

No legal proceedings

Gunmen attack an apartment where Coll is expected, killing several people and injuring others. Coll is not present during the attack.

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
    Dictionary of Irish BiographyColl, Vincent ('Mad Dog')Academic publicationVery high reliability
  2. [2]
    The Irish TimesThe gangster from GweedorePressHigh reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

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02

1932-02-08

8 February 1932: Coll murdered in telephone booth during extortion conflict

No legal proceedings

Coll is machine-gunned to death in a telephone booth in Manhattan. Contemporary accounts indicate that he was then threatening Owney Madden as part of a demand for money and that several underworld bosses had placed a bounty on his head.

State of the evidence
Documented
Attribution
Protagonist is the victim

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
    Associated Press report archived by Georgia Historic NewspapersYoung Vincent Coll slain in telephone boothNews agencyHigh reliability
  2. [2]
    Dictionary of Irish BiographyColl, Vincent ('Mad Dog')Academic publicationVery high reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

Add to this entry

03

1930–1931

1930–1931: Break with Schultz and deadly gang war

No legal proceedings

Coll leaves Schultz's organisation, forms his own group and becomes involved in a war of reprisals, kidnappings and murders against former associates.

State of the evidence
Documented

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
    The Irish TimesThe gangster from GweedorePressHigh reliability
  2. [2]
    Dictionary of Irish BiographyColl, Vincent ('Mad Dog')Academic publicationVery high reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

Add to this entry

04

1931

1931: Kidnapping and extortion during New York underworld conflicts

No legal proceedings

Coll's group finances itself and attacks rivals through ransom kidnappings and extortion threats, bringing it into conflict with figures such as Owney Madden.

State of the evidence
Documented

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
    Dictionary of Irish BiographyColl, Vincent ('Mad Dog')Academic publicationVery high reliability
  2. [2]
    The Irish TimesThe gangster from GweedorePressHigh reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

Add to this entry

Case · 2 documented stages

28 July 1931: Shooting targeting Joey Rao — child Michael Vengalli killed and several children injured

Acquitted / conviction overturned
05

1931-07-28

28 July 1931: Shooting targeting Joey Rao — child Michael Vengalli killed and several children injured

Acquitted / conviction overturned

A machine-gun attack targeting a Schultz-linked rival strikes children in the street and kills Michael Vengalli. The incident provokes national outrage and earns Coll the nicknames 'baby killer' and 'Mad Dog'.

State of the evidence
Documented
Attribution
Accused
Course of the proceedings
  1. Formally charged — Formal charge before the current outcome

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
    United Press report archived by Papers PastGangsters Arrested — child shot down while at playNews agencyHigh reliability
  2. [2]
    Dictionary of Irish BiographyColl, Vincent ('Mad Dog')Academic publicationVery high reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

Add to this entry

07

1931-12

December 1931: Acquittal in Michael Vengalli case

Acquitted / conviction overturned

Represented by Samuel Leibowitz, Coll is acquitted of the murder of the child Michael Vengalli.

Legal status — source text
Acquitted / conviction overturned
Attribution
Accused

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
    The New YorkerLet Freedom Ring-IPressHigh reliability
  2. [2]
    Associated Press report archived by Georgia Historic NewspapersYoung Vincent Coll slain in telephone boothNews agencyHigh reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

Add to this entry

06

1931-10-05

5 October 1931: Arrested and indicted for Michael Vengalli's murder

No legal proceedings

After several weeks on the run, Coll is arrested with associates and charged with first-degree murder in the Vengalli case.

Attribution
Accused

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
    United Press report archived by Papers PastGangsters Arrested — child shot down while at playNews agencyHigh reliability
  2. [2]
    Dictionary of Irish BiographyColl, Vincent ('Mad Dog')Academic publicationVery high reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

Add to this entry

II. Documented background

Documented biographical or institutional milestones (elections, appointments, foundings, acquisitions…). These are not controversies and are not counted as such.

  1. 1931-09

    September 1931: Alleged contract from Salvatore Maranzano to kill Lucky Luciano and Vito Genovese, never carried out

    According to the Dictionary of Irish Biography, Maranzano pays Coll an advance to eliminate Luciano and Genovese. When Coll arrives, Maranzano himself has just been murdered.

    Sources · 1
    1. Dictionary of Irish Biography — Coll, Vincent ('Mad Dog')
  2. fin des années 1920

    Late 1920s: Joins Dutch Schultz's circle as enforcer

    After a youth marked by institutional care and offences, Coll joins Dutch Schultz's organisation and develops a reputation for violence in the Bronx.

    Sources · 2
    1. Dictionary of Irish Biography — Coll, Vincent ('Mad Dog')
    2. The Irish Times — The gangster from Gweedore

III. Constellation of documented links

  • Linked profile (portrait or initials) — click to open it
  • Line width: number of documented references
  • Hover over or tap a line: controversies and sources

Two profiles are linked when a documented controversy of one names the other. The link points to that controversy and its sources; it does not indicate a personal relationship.

List of documented links (1)
  1. Dutch Schultz1 documented reference

IV. Has something changed?

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