A former Major League Baseball pitcher who became a New York Port Authority police officer died in a traffic accident on the way to Manhattan’s 9/11 memorial service, according to reports.
Anthony Varvaro, 37, was an MLB pitcher for six seasons, half of that time with the Atlanta Braves. Varvaro, a native New Yorker, joined the Port Authority in June of 2016 and was assigned to the World Trade Center Command before becoming a police academy instructor, the New York Post reported.
Anthony Varvaro #38 of the Atlanta Braves throws a pitch in the seventh inning of the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on September 28, 2014, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Braves won 2-1. (Brian Garfinkel/Getty Images)
The father of four was on his way to the 21st anniversary 9/11 memorial services when he was killed in a wrong-way driver accident.
A Staten Island Little League coach who coached opposite of the officer said that Vavaro was “a real sweetheart.” And added, “He didn’t have an attitude. You would never know that he pitched in the Major Leagues. He loved coaching and teaching the kids.”
Frank Conti, president of the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association, published a statement saying how shocking the officer’s death was.
“Anthony’s life was taken from us as he prepared to honor the lives of the 37 Port Authority police officers who perished on September 11, 2001, at the World Trade Center,” Conti said. “Police Officer Anthony Varvaro will always be honored and never forgotten.”
Conti added that Varvaro was “a child of Staten Island, where he grew up among the families of fallen 9/11 police officers and firefighters.”
In a message stating how heartbroken they are, Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole and Exec. Dir. Rick Cotton added, “Officer Varvaro represented the very best of this agency, and will be remembered for his courage and commitment to service,” they said. “On behalf of the agency, we send our deepest condolences to Officer Varvaro’s wife, Kerry, his four children and his family and friends.”
“We are deeply saddened on the passing of former Braves pitcher Anthony Varvaro,” the Braves wrote in a Twitter post. “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.”
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