Salvatore Naturile
Encyclopedia
Salvatore Antonio Naturile, also known as Donald Matterson and "Sal" (born c. 1953/1954, Keansburg, New Jersey
-August 22, 1972, South Ozone Park, Queens
) was an American bank robber who, along with John Wojtowicz
, inspired the 1975 film Dog Day Afternoon
. In the film he is portrayed by actor John Cazale
.
, in the same neighborhood as John Wojtowicz
. As a kid, growing up in Keansburg, New Jersey
for two years in his early years as an adolescent, he had been picked up and arrested on countless charges of truancy, grand larceny, burglary and dangerous drugs. He spent most of his teen years in and out of state reform school
s, and within the three months before the fatal robbery attempt, Salvatore had been charged with possession of burglary
tools and possession of narcotics. As a youth while incarcerated in prison he was victim to numerous acts of sodomy
from older, stronger inmates.
In the novelization of the crime by Patrick Mann, it is suggested that Naturile had connections with the Italian mafia in New York City
, but he in fact had no known associations with organized crime
. He sported a faint blond mustache and crude tattoos on his arms and thighs and lived mostly as a drifter, but a New York Times article stated that he remained in contact with and occasionally lived with his mother. A middle-aged man named Wallace Hamilton, who told reporters that he was a friend of Naturile's, identified Naturile's corpse at the city morgue following the robbery.
; the robbery was led by John Wojtowicz
and Robert Westenberg. Westenberg was unnerved by a police car on the street and fled the scene before the robbery was underway. Wojtowicz and Naturile then held seven Chase Manhattan bank employees hostage for fourteen hours. Wojtowicz, a former bank teller, had some knowledge of bank operations. However, Wojtowicz had apparently based his plan on scenes from the movie The Godfather
, which he had seen earlier that day.
Before the robbery, Naturile had informed Wojtowicz and Westenberg that he would rather die than go back to prison. He was seen by the police on the scene as nervous, highly strung and volatile and they feared that the more pressure that was put on Naturile and Wojtowicz would cause them to be frightened and unbalanced and impossible to negotiate with on reasonable terms. He was the only one of the three bank robbers who had a previous criminal record. During the robbery he was dressed in a black business suit and tie and carried an attache case. His last meal consisted of takeout pizza and soda pop which they ate during their holdout at the bank with the hostages. The robbery was meant to fund the sex reassignment operation of John's wife. Naturile's share was to finance his two sisters' removal from foster care and separation from their mother, who drank and neglected all three of her children.
(FBI) and New York City Police Department
(NYPD) during the hostage situation than the more stable Wojtowicz. He was the only one of the robbers who had a previous criminal record and was known by the police. He fired a single shot at the police through the Chase Manhattan bank's exit rear door, fearing that the police were preparing to storm the building.
in South Ozone Park, Queens
, Wojtowicz told Naturile to sit with bank employee Shirley Ball and another co-worker in the third row, while the others sat in the fourth, reserving the fifth row for himself and the two remaining hostages. There was a .38 caliber handgun hidden in the front seat of the limousine that John missed when searching the limo upon first arriving at the bank. FBI Special Agent Fred Fehl positioned himself on the driver's side of the limo next to the open window closest to Salvatore, who sat between two hostages in the third row. FBI Special Agent Dick Baker took up a position on the right side of the car closest to John, who was still situated in the rear seat. NYPD Police Chief of Detectives Louis C. Cottell, who headed the negotiations during the initial standoff, stayed 15 feet away from the rear of the limo.
When everyone prepared for the final standoff, the Hansa Jet rolled out onto the tarmac where they sat in the limo. Baker asked a police officer identified only as "Murphy" to ask whether the group wanted any food on the flight. He took advantage of this opportunity to assess the threat Salvatore and John posed, from where they were situated in the vehicle. Baker grabbed the handgun with his left hand and ordered the two men to "freeze". Simultaneously, he wrestled with the barrel of Naturile's shotgun, knocking it toward the ceiling and shooting him in the head point blank. Naturile slumped in the seat, mortally wounded. He was rushed to the hospital by an ambulance that was waiting at the scene but was pronounced dead on arrival.
. The movie was released in 1975, and starred Al Pacino
as Wojtowicz (called "Sonny Wortzik" in the film), and John Cazale
, Pacino's co-star in The Godfather
, as Naturile.
In 1975, John Wojtowicz wrote a letter to The New York Times
expressing concern that people would believe the movie version of the events which he said was only 30% accurate. Among other objections, he stated that the movie intimated that he had "sold out: Naturile to the police, which he claims this to be untrue. Several attempts were made on Wojtowicz's life following an inmate screening of the movie. He would, however, later praise Al Pacino's portrayal of himself, and Chris Sarandon
's of his wife Elizabeth Eden
, as accurate. In a 2006 interview, the screenwriter of the movie, Frank Pierson, said that he tried to visit Wojtowicz in prison many times to get more details about his story when he wrote the screenplay, but Wojtowicz refused each time to see him because he thought he was not paid enough money for the rights to his story. An 18-year-old actor was originally to be cast in the role of Naturile, but actor John Cazale
, who was 39 years old at the time of production, ultimately got the part.
The movie was nominated for seven Golden Globe Awards, including Cazale for Best Supporting Actor, but did not win any.
Keansburg, New Jersey
Keansburg is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 10,105.Keansburg was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 26, 1917, from portions of both Middletown Township and Raritan Township ,...
-August 22, 1972, South Ozone Park, Queens
South Ozone Park, Queens
South Ozone Park is a neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens. It was originally developed as low-cost housing in the early 1900s. Adjacently north of JFK Airport, its boundaries extend from the Aqueduct Racetrack westward to the Van Wyck Expressway.Its main...
) was an American bank robber who, along with John Wojtowicz
John Wojtowicz
John Stanley Wojtowicz was an American bank robber whose story inspired the 1975 film Dog Day Afternoon.-Background:...
, inspired the 1975 film Dog Day Afternoon
Dog Day Afternoon
Dog Day Afternoon is a 1975 drama film directed by Sidney Lumet, written by Frank Pierson, and produced by Martin Bregman. The film stars Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, Chris Sarandon, Penny Allen, James Broderick, and Carol Kane. The title refers to the "dog days of summer".The film was...
. In the film he is portrayed by actor John Cazale
John Cazale
John Holland Cazale , was an American film and theater actor. During his six-year film career he appeared in five films, each of which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture: The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon and The Deer Hunter.From his...
.
Early life
Little is known about Naturile's background except for criminal acts he committed and that he lived in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, in the same neighborhood as John Wojtowicz
John Wojtowicz
John Stanley Wojtowicz was an American bank robber whose story inspired the 1975 film Dog Day Afternoon.-Background:...
. As a kid, growing up in Keansburg, New Jersey
Keansburg, New Jersey
Keansburg is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 10,105.Keansburg was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 26, 1917, from portions of both Middletown Township and Raritan Township ,...
for two years in his early years as an adolescent, he had been picked up and arrested on countless charges of truancy, grand larceny, burglary and dangerous drugs. He spent most of his teen years in and out of state reform school
Reform school
A reform school in the United States was a term used to define, often somewhat euphemistically, what was often essentially a penal institution for boys, generally teenagers.-History:...
s, and within the three months before the fatal robbery attempt, Salvatore had been charged with possession of burglary
Burglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
tools and possession of narcotics. As a youth while incarcerated in prison he was victim to numerous acts of sodomy
Sodomy
Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
from older, stronger inmates.
In the novelization of the crime by Patrick Mann, it is suggested that Naturile had connections with the Italian mafia in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, but he in fact had no known associations with organized crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
. He sported a faint blond mustache and crude tattoos on his arms and thighs and lived mostly as a drifter, but a New York Times article stated that he remained in contact with and occasionally lived with his mother. A middle-aged man named Wallace Hamilton, who told reporters that he was a friend of Naturile's, identified Naturile's corpse at the city morgue following the robbery.
The robbery
On August 22, 1972, Naturile attempted to rob branch of the Chase Manhattan bank on the corner of East Third Street and Avenue P in Gravesend, BrooklynGravesend, Brooklyn
Gravesend is a neighborhood in the south-central section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA.The derivation of the name is unclear. Some speculate that it was named after the English seaport of Gravesend, Kent. An alternative explanation suggests that it was named by Willem Kieft for the...
; the robbery was led by John Wojtowicz
John Wojtowicz
John Stanley Wojtowicz was an American bank robber whose story inspired the 1975 film Dog Day Afternoon.-Background:...
and Robert Westenberg. Westenberg was unnerved by a police car on the street and fled the scene before the robbery was underway. Wojtowicz and Naturile then held seven Chase Manhattan bank employees hostage for fourteen hours. Wojtowicz, a former bank teller, had some knowledge of bank operations. However, Wojtowicz had apparently based his plan on scenes from the movie The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
, which he had seen earlier that day.
Before the robbery, Naturile had informed Wojtowicz and Westenberg that he would rather die than go back to prison. He was seen by the police on the scene as nervous, highly strung and volatile and they feared that the more pressure that was put on Naturile and Wojtowicz would cause them to be frightened and unbalanced and impossible to negotiate with on reasonable terms. He was the only one of the three bank robbers who had a previous criminal record. During the robbery he was dressed in a black business suit and tie and carried an attache case. His last meal consisted of takeout pizza and soda pop which they ate during their holdout at the bank with the hostages. The robbery was meant to fund the sex reassignment operation of John's wife. Naturile's share was to finance his two sisters' removal from foster care and separation from their mother, who drank and neglected all three of her children.
The standoff with police
During the robbery, Naturile surveyed the street and alleyway realizing that they were surrounded by police. It was later reported by the bank manager and tellers held hostage by him that he spoke often of the tremendous power of the .30-06 rifle and his ability and willingness to use it. He was more feared by the Federal Bureau of InvestigationFederal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
(FBI) and New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
(NYPD) during the hostage situation than the more stable Wojtowicz. He was the only one of the robbers who had a previous criminal record and was known by the police. He fired a single shot at the police through the Chase Manhattan bank's exit rear door, fearing that the police were preparing to storm the building.
Assuming the Donald Matterson identity
Wojtowicz identified Salvatore to police by his criminal alias, "Donald Matterson". He used the alias when he was arrested for possession of narcotics and burglary tools five months before the bank robbery. For two hours, local television stations, live at the scene reported that the two suspects were Wojtowicz and a Donald Matterson. It was not until later that he was officially identified as Salvatore Naturile, who had charges pending against him after being released on parole for his arrest in Manhattan for possessing burglary tools.The ambush and capture
When entering the limo to be chauffeured to the John F. Kennedy International AirportJohn F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
in South Ozone Park, Queens
South Ozone Park, Queens
South Ozone Park is a neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens. It was originally developed as low-cost housing in the early 1900s. Adjacently north of JFK Airport, its boundaries extend from the Aqueduct Racetrack westward to the Van Wyck Expressway.Its main...
, Wojtowicz told Naturile to sit with bank employee Shirley Ball and another co-worker in the third row, while the others sat in the fourth, reserving the fifth row for himself and the two remaining hostages. There was a .38 caliber handgun hidden in the front seat of the limousine that John missed when searching the limo upon first arriving at the bank. FBI Special Agent Fred Fehl positioned himself on the driver's side of the limo next to the open window closest to Salvatore, who sat between two hostages in the third row. FBI Special Agent Dick Baker took up a position on the right side of the car closest to John, who was still situated in the rear seat. NYPD Police Chief of Detectives Louis C. Cottell, who headed the negotiations during the initial standoff, stayed 15 feet away from the rear of the limo.
When everyone prepared for the final standoff, the Hansa Jet rolled out onto the tarmac where they sat in the limo. Baker asked a police officer identified only as "Murphy" to ask whether the group wanted any food on the flight. He took advantage of this opportunity to assess the threat Salvatore and John posed, from where they were situated in the vehicle. Baker grabbed the handgun with his left hand and ordered the two men to "freeze". Simultaneously, he wrestled with the barrel of Naturile's shotgun, knocking it toward the ceiling and shooting him in the head point blank. Naturile slumped in the seat, mortally wounded. He was rushed to the hospital by an ambulance that was waiting at the scene but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Dog Day Afternoon
Salvatore Naturile's story was used as the basis for the film Dog Day AfternoonDog Day Afternoon
Dog Day Afternoon is a 1975 drama film directed by Sidney Lumet, written by Frank Pierson, and produced by Martin Bregman. The film stars Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, Chris Sarandon, Penny Allen, James Broderick, and Carol Kane. The title refers to the "dog days of summer".The film was...
. The movie was released in 1975, and starred Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
as Wojtowicz (called "Sonny Wortzik" in the film), and John Cazale
John Cazale
John Holland Cazale , was an American film and theater actor. During his six-year film career he appeared in five films, each of which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture: The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon and The Deer Hunter.From his...
, Pacino's co-star in The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
, as Naturile.
In 1975, John Wojtowicz wrote a letter to The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
expressing concern that people would believe the movie version of the events which he said was only 30% accurate. Among other objections, he stated that the movie intimated that he had "sold out: Naturile to the police, which he claims this to be untrue. Several attempts were made on Wojtowicz's life following an inmate screening of the movie. He would, however, later praise Al Pacino's portrayal of himself, and Chris Sarandon
Chris Sarandon
Chris Sarandon is an American actor who was married to actress Susan Sarandon between 1968 and 1979. He is best known for playing Prince Humperdinck in the film The Princess Bride, the vampire Jerry Dandridge in Fright Night and Detective Mike Norris in the first entry of the Child's Play series,...
's of his wife Elizabeth Eden
Elizabeth Eden
Elizabeth Debbie "Liz" Eden was an American transsexual woman whose boyfriend John Wojtowicz attempted to rob a bank to pay for her sex reassignment surgery. The incident was made into the 1975 film Dog Day Afternoon...
, as accurate. In a 2006 interview, the screenwriter of the movie, Frank Pierson, said that he tried to visit Wojtowicz in prison many times to get more details about his story when he wrote the screenplay, but Wojtowicz refused each time to see him because he thought he was not paid enough money for the rights to his story. An 18-year-old actor was originally to be cast in the role of Naturile, but actor John Cazale
John Cazale
John Holland Cazale , was an American film and theater actor. During his six-year film career he appeared in five films, each of which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture: The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon and The Deer Hunter.From his...
, who was 39 years old at the time of production, ultimately got the part.
The movie was nominated for seven Golden Globe Awards, including Cazale for Best Supporting Actor, but did not win any.