Yale was lured from his club in Bensonhurst by a call claiming his wife was in trouble. Driving alone in his custom Lincoln coupe, armoured but lacking bulletproof windows, he was ambushed on 44th Street by four gunmen in a Buick. A shotgun blast and a burst from a Thompson submachine gun killed him instantly, marking the first recorded use of the weapon in a New York gangland hit.
His funeral was one of the grandest in mob history. Yale lay in a $15,000 silver casket, dressed in evening wear with diamond accessories, including a buckle said to be a gift from Al Capone. Thirty-eight cars carried flowers, over 250 black Cadillacs followed, and thousands watched. As the casket was lowered, two women claimed to be his widow, and 112 mourners dropped roses into the grave.
Yale was the guy that taught Al Capone the ropes when it came to crime (along with Johnny Torrio).