A former major league baseball pitcher turned Port Authority cop was killed on Sunday while driving to the 9/11 commemoration at World Trade Center Command.
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Anthony Varvaro, 37, was struck and killed in a head-on collision with another driver who was heading west in the eastbound lanes on the Hudson Bay Extension around 4:30 a.m., according to the Daily Voice.
Varvaro is survived by his wife and four children.
Port Authority Police Supt. Edward Cetnar said the off-duty cop was on his way to the 9/11 commemoration when he was killed.
“Officer Varvaro represented the very best of this agency, and will be remembered for his courage and commitment to service,” Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole and Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton said in a joint statement.
“On this solemn occasion as the Port Authority mourns the loss of 84 employees in the attacks on the World Trade Center — including 37 members of the Port Authority Police Department — our grief only deepens today with the passing of Officer Varvaro,” they added.
Varvaro played Major League Baseball for six seasons, according to the Atlanta Braves. The team posted that they were “deeply saddened” by Varvaro’s tragic death.
“We are deeply saddened on the passing of former Braves pitcher Anthony Varvaro. Anthony, 37, played parts of six seasons in the majors, including four with Atlanta. He voluntarily retired from MLB in 2016 to become a Port Authority police officer,” the team tweeted.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy tweeted that he was “heartbroken” over Varvaro’s death.
“Heartbroken by the tragic passing of Port Authority Police Officer Anthony Varvaro. A former @MLB player, Officer Varvaro was an invaluable leader at the PA as an Academy Instructor,” Murphy wrote. “He was a husband and father of four, and we send our condolences to his family during this time.”
On Sunday, a New York Jets-Baltimore Ravens football game crowd joined in the singing of the national anthem with NYPD officer Brianna Fernandez, which also marked the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
