After John Favara accidentally ran over his neighbour's 12-year-old son, Frank Gotti, in 1980, he disappeared four months after the funeral and was declared dead three years later. So, what happened to Favara? Was his disappearance a result of revenge by John Gotti and his family?
John Favara is the deceased drunk car driver who accidentally ran over, killing John Gotti's middle son, Frank Gotti. The incident led to great animosity between the two families, and death threats were sent to Favara. It ended with the abduction of John in 1980, only to later be declared dead in 1983.
John Favara's profile summary
| Full name | John Favara |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of birth | 4th March, 1929 |
| Date of abduction | 28th July, 1980 |
| Year of death declaration | 1983 |
| Marital status | Married (at the time of death) |
| Children | Two sons |
| Victim | Frank Gotti |
| Victim's type of murder | Car hit |
Who was John Favara?
The late Favara was a well-recognised furniture factory worker who resided in the middle-class neighbourhood of Howard Beach, Queen, in the 1970s. He was the backyard neighbour of the Gotti family and the driver who accidentally hit Gotti's 12-year-old son with his car, killing him.
Favara was born on 4th March 1929, but his life was cut short at 51 when he mysteriously disappeared, never to be found again. After an unsuccessful thorough search by the police, the abducted man was declared dead in 1983.
It's perhaps one of the most intriguing, mysterious, and unsolved crimes that happened during the gangland career of John Gotti.
Events leading to the death of John Gotti's son
On 18th March 1980, John Gotti's middle son was accidentally run over by his neighbour John Favara, who was driving home from work. The case details were that Frank, a twelve-year-old boy, had borrowed his friend's minibike, and before he was given instructions on how to ride it, he darted out into the street.
Favara was already driving and blindsighted by the sun, hit Frank, killing him in the process. He didn't notice hitting the boy and even drove down the street unknowingly until his other neighbours told him to stop. Frank Gotti's parents arrived at the scene to the sight of their son's lifeless body.
Victoria Gotti, Frank's mother, claimed that Favara was driving recklessly while drunk, and that's why he had hit her son. Upon investigations, Frank's death was ruled an unfortunate accident, and the driver was momentarily blinded by the sun. Therefore, no criminal charges were filed against John Favara.
What happened after the incident?
Frank was buried, and Favara attempted to apologise to his neighbours, the Gottis, for the accident. However, Victoria DiGiorgio, Frank Gotti's mother, swung a baseball bat, hitting him with it. Multiple death threats were also sent to Favara to the extent of vandalising his car with the word "murderer."
At the time of his son's death, John Gotti had just been released from prison but was again rising in the ranks of the Gambino crime family. John Favara was allegedly aware of his neighbour's criminal reputation, so he decided it was best for him and his family to relocate.
Unfortunately, on 28th July 1980, Favara was abducted before he could fulfil his relocating plans. Favara's disappearance happened three days after the Gotti family went on a vacation and four months after Frank Gotti's death. He was last seen beaten and being forced into a car, and suspects were that the Gottis were involved in the kidnapping.
John Gotti and his family were questioned, but there wasn't any proof that they had done it, as the family was on vacation at the time of his disappearance. At the time, Victoria commented:
I don't know what happened to him, but I wouldn't be sorry if something did. He never sent me a card. He never apologised. He never even got his car fixed after hitting my son.
Police searched for years, but there weren't any clues as to where Favara might have been. John Favara's wife and two sons later left the neighbourhood, allegedly settling elsewhere.
Was John Favara found?
In November 2004, the FBI agents, following some suspicious information, did an excavation in The Hole, NYC parking lot. They believed that the mob graveyard was where Favara's body was buried. However, they found two bodies on the site, and Favara's body wasn't among them.
Previously, there were different accounts of what happened to Favara, and one story was that Favara was killed with a chainsaw, his body stuffed into a barrel filled with acid and covered with concrete. The barrel was said to have been dumped in the ocean or buried somewhere, never to be found.
In January 2009, the Brooklyn federal court revealed what may have happened to John Favara. According to the court's files, the deceased was allegedly murdered on Gotti's order.
During one of hitman Charles Carneglia's crime trials, a witness testified that they saw Carneglia shooting Favara and disposing of his body in a barrel of acid. John Favara was thus never found - alive or dead.
John Favara's fast facts
- Who is John Favara? John Favara was John Gotti's neighbour and the one who allegedly hit and killed Frank Gotti.
- When did John Favara hit John Gotti's son? John Favara's tragic accident that led to the death of Frank Gotti happened on 18th March 1980 in Howard Beach Street.
- Was John Favara drunk when he hit John Gotti's 12-year-old son? Contrary to what Victoria DiGiorgio claimed, John Favara was not drunk. He was momentarily blinded by the sun when the boy suddenly crossed in front of his car.
- Did John Favara face charges for the death of Frank Gotti? John Favara did not face any charges since Frank's death was ruled an accident.
- What happened to John Favara? John Favara mysteriously vanished on 28th July 1980 and was declared dead in 1983.
- Where did John Favara work? John Favara worked on Long Island as a furniture industry worker.
- What happened to John Favara's son and wife after his disappearance? After John disappeared and wasn't found for a long time, his wife and two sons left the Howard Beach, Queens neighbourhood.
Final word
John Favara's story is one of the most disturbing unsolved disappearance cases. Four months after accidentally killing the son of an infamous mafia boss, John Gotti, he vanished mysteriously without a trace. Favara was later declared dead after three years of thorough searching.
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