Born and raised in Newark, New Jersey as the youngest of 12 children, Toma graduated from West Side High School.
His demonstration of quick-change disguises on the Mike Douglas Show led to his book being picked up and the development of a television series based on his exploits.
[2] In his review of the show in The New York Times, John J. O'Connor described Toma's groundbreaking role as "a loner, openly distrustful of the competence and honesty of his fellow police officers,"[3] Eventually, Musante and others involved with Toma thought that the series had become too formula-based; the show was canceled and eventually resurrected in part as Baretta, which ran from 1975 to 1978, with Robert Blake playing the title character.
[4][5] In 1977, producer Bob Roberts and Trans World Attractions developed a film based on his career, with a screenplay written by Frank Scioscia.
For decades after retiring from the police department, Toma lectured high school and college students about the dangers of alcohol and other drugs.