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By Sarah Calams
Police1
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Anthony Varvaro, a former MLB pitcher-turned-officer, died on Sept. 11, 2022, after his car was struck by a wrong-way driver on the New Jersey Turnpike. Varvaro, a 37-year-old father of four, was on his way to work at the Sept. 11 memorial ceremony in Manhattan when the crash occurred. Now, new investigation details have revealed that two Port Authority Police Department detectives witnessed, but did not report, the wrong-way driver before the fatal crash.
The detectives, according to SILive.com, have been suspended following the investigation, which claims the officers allegedly saw the driver while they were also on their way to the annual ceremony. They were heard discussing the wrong-way driver after they arrived, according to the investigation.
Anthony Varvaro. (Photo/Port Authority Police Department)
The wrong-way driver, Henry Plazas, crossed lanes and collided head-on with Varvaro’s car. Plazas later died of his injuries sustained in the crash.
“We appreciate the support of the PAPD rank-and-file who have been friends to us since day one, as well as those within and without the organization who have shown us humanity these past five months,” the Varvaro family told SILive.com. “Those who have taken a different approach will have to live with their actions, and whatever other repercussions may come in a process that unfortunately seems to be just beginning.”
Varvaro was posthumously honored by the department, where he served as an officer for six years.
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