Philip "Chicken Man" Testa I Part 1 Philadelphia Crime Boss Documentary

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:01]He is one of the most notable bosses of the Philadelphia crime family during the 1980s.

[00:00:06]His reign as the boss was short-lived, but he had many years as the under boss.

[00:00:12]He arrived to the rank with the gentle John and he was the father of one of the most respected loyal mob soldiers. This is the story of Philip Chicken Manchester.

[00:00:26]>> Warning, warning. The following video is intended for educational and entertainment use only. The content will include disturbing images, violent scenarios, and explicit language. This video is intended for 18 plus and older audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

[00:00:44]The beginning. Philip Charles Tester was born on April 21st, 1924.

[00:00:51]There are certain disputes of certain sources to what city and location was he born. Multiple sources said that he was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while other sources may say he was born in Sicily, Italy.

[00:01:03]Philip Tesa was born to Sicilian immigrant parents and he lived in the city of Philadelphia, mainly in the South Philadelphia region between 9inth and Carpenter Street. There are very limited sources about what covered Philip Tesa's life, but we'll try to go over as much sources as we can so you can get a more of a picturesque story about who he was and what he was known for throughout the city of Philadelphia.

[00:01:27]Phil Tester was one of the most feared and tragic figures in the history of the Philadelphia Mafia. A man who rose to power happened during one of the most bloodiest and most unstable eras of organized crime in America. His nickname, Chicken Man, came from his legitimate business running a poultry company in South Philadelphia. But behind the scenes, he was deeply tied to lone sharking, extortion, gambling records, and mob enforcement.

[00:01:53]His story ended in one of the most infamous mob assassinations ever, a nail bomb explosion that literally tore apart his home in 1981, but we'll go more into details about that later on. Early life and reputation.

[00:02:07]As Phil Tesa grew up in the South Philadelphia area where many people of Italian descent had decided to grown their own business, mainly legitimately, Phil Tesa himself will also dabble into some of the marketing operations through the whole South Philadelphia community, especially when it came to the poultry business in his early years. While many people have did legitimate work in the South Philadelphia area, he himself may dabble to into illegitimate work.

[00:02:32]However, he was not known for being a flashy gangster who loved expensive suits or gather attention. Tesla had a reputation for being quiet, cold, and dangerous. While he may have garnered the nickname chicken man through many of his organized crime figures, many people would say who knew him said you would never say to his face because there could have been serious repercussions to that. People who knew him described him as extremely loyal to the mafia code and very close to a long time to love your mob boss Angela Bruno. In his personal life, the chicken mana had married his wife Alfia Archer Diaano possibly in the 1950s. Their marriage certificate has never been known to the public, but is estimated that they were married in their early 1950s before 1956 specifically because also that same year in 1956, he has the most famous Philadelphia mug shot that you may know in him. Every time when you look up his name online is usually his famous mug shot from the 1956 from the Philadelphia Police Department.

[00:03:30]During this time, he was also to be reported to be married during this year.

[00:03:34]At the year of 1956, he'd be approximately between the age of 31 or 32 years old depending on the date of the mugsh shot of the photograph. when he was married to his wife Alfia Archer Aanos who would change our surname to test at the very end. It also showed that he helped support her family owned business farm in Salem County, New Jersey. While he was being arrested throughout the years of his life, he was identified by law enforcement as of not having too much legitimate source of income and was solely dependent on winning as a common gambler. As you can see from the other mug shop picture in which you can see that is listed as his occupation.

[00:04:11]The Ta family had two children, one being Salvator Ta and the younger child will be Maria Ta.

[00:04:20]Salvatore Ta really aspired to be just like his father and had the plans of becoming a real legitimate business person, especially after he graduated high school and potentially went to Tupper University for a temporary time.

[00:04:33]But college was not really Salvator Tesla's goal. He wanted to be just like his father and therefore that's where he himself became more involved in the street business.

[00:04:42]The man who ruled the Philadelphia criminal underworld, Angelo Bruno since the late 1950s were ruled until his unttime demise in 1980. Andrew Bruno ruled the Philadelphia crime family for about two decades with calm business focused approach. Unlike New York bosses who often embrace public violence, Bruno preferred diplomacy, steady profits and low publicity. Tessa became one of the most trusted allies and eventually his under boss.

[00:05:10]At the same time, Philadelphia's underworld was changing. Younger mobsters wanted more money and more power. Drug trafficking was becoming more incredibly profitable, and many young gangsters believe Bruno was too conservative.

[00:05:23]That tension would eventually explode into the betrayal and led to his unttimely demise.

[00:05:29]During the late 1970s and 1980, gambling became legalized, especially in Atlantic City. Andrew Bruno would also prohibit some of his own crime family members to dabble into the Norcars and drug trafficking business. But however, there was a hypocrisy to Bruno's operations.

[00:05:45]While he prohibited some of his own underlings to do any drug businesses, Bruno on his side was allegedly involved with the Gambino crime family since he was loyal to Carl Gambino. After Carl Gambino spared Bruno's life where he was almost whacked by Antio Mr. Mix Paulina, Bruno himself become a long-term friend of Carl Gambino. After Carlino died from a heart attack, Andrew Bruno was still loyal to some of his own family members and underlings especially when it came to his nephews. The nephews of Carl Gambino will also run a lot of profits especially came to the companies of Valentino where Bruno would receive drug money allegedly. And therefore when that became more public knowledge to many of his underlings, this is where many of people start to look at Bruno very hypocritical and also what it like to betray him, especially his own counselor Antonio Tony Bananas Keperno.

[00:06:42]Many people felt they was missing a lot of profits from gambling and the drug trafficking that was happening within the east coast in the tri-state area.

[00:06:51]While Andrew Boon was known for being a white collar criminal, Phil Testa and many elders were bluecollar criminals and therefore this is where the siege of treachery started to plant. However, Philip Ta did not have any connection to what would happen to Bruno in 1980. In fact, he would keep himself more distant. Many people suspected that Andrew Bruno would possibly make Philip Tesa's adversary, Frank Chikarduchi his under boss and will probably demote Phil Tesa if things will go away. Angelo Bruno also consulted with another Philadelphia M member named Nicodem Lil Nikki Scaro. He asked if there was a war between Angelo Bruno and Phil Ta whose side will he be on? And Nikki Scar would just say una familia one family. What side will I ever choose on? He said I'm good friends with Tessa as I'm good friends with you. So therefore Nikki Scarfolk kept his distance from both Angela Bruno's offer. On March 21st, 1980, as Angelo Bruno had dinner at Cousins Little Italy, not too far from his home, he was escorted by John Stan, who will be the driver to make sure Bruno had his dinner and be escorted to his home. Angelo Bruno was sitting on the front passenger side next to John Stan. Smoking had emerged and his windows were lower. And then, unbeknownst to Angelo Bruno, a gunman had come up right behind his right ear, hit him with a double barrel shotgun, blowing the Philadelphia godfather into oblivion.

[00:08:22]Andrew Bruno lost his life while singing a car outside his South Philadelphia home. The mob had shocked the mafia world because Bruno had been seen as untouchable. The man widely blamed for orchestrating the assassination was Antonio Tony Bananas Capernigo along with ambitious mom figures tied to New York's Genevese crime family. The murder of Angela Bruno triggered chaos inside the Philadelphia crime family. And here's also the stories to what happened after Andrew Bruno lost his life. And this is where Philip Chicken Mana will have to step in as his new successor.

[00:08:58]Philadelphia and southern New Jersey may have a new crime boss, a new boss of bosses to succeed, the late Angelo Bruno. The Philadelphia Inquirer says today that man is Philip Ta, 56 years old and described by police investigators as the meanest and best equipped of all Bruno's former associates that to survive the fight for Bruno's job. Ta was an underboss in the Bruno family, the man who controlled lone sharking and gambling activities for the family. Bruno was murdered in his car in March, and many sources have said it was linked to a struggle for the control of gambling rackets and other potential mob interests in Atlantic City. Authorities are said to have photographs of a number of top crime figures in Philadelphia going in and out of a downtown restaurant there, where it's believed they pledged their loyalty to the new boss.

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