Port Authority Police Officer Anthony Varvaro, a former Major League Baseball player, killed in crash on N.J. Turnpike
NEW YORK -- A Port Authority Police officer assigned security detail on 9/11 at the World Trade Center site was killed Sunday in an early morning in a car crash on his way to work.
That officer was also a former Major League Baseball player, CBS2's Kevin Rincon reported.
State Police say Anthony Varvaro was hit head-on on the New Jersey Turnpike extension by a wrong-way driver.
Before he joined the department, the 37-year-old spent six seasons in the majors. The Atlanta Braves tweeted that they're deeply saddened about Varvaro's passing.
"I can actually remember the first time that I saw him pitch. It was down on the New Jersey Shore. Just a special player, had a special presence about him," said Mike Hampton, St. John's University's baseball coach.
Varvaro grew up on Staten Island. He stayed close to home, even when he was thousands of miles away.
"He was the same guy when he was in the big leagues as he was in high school," said John Eberlein, the former baseball coach at Curtis High School.
From the Snug Harbor Little League field to Curtis High, Varvaro was a standout pitcher. He would later go to St. John's before getting drafted.
His coaches will tell you that Varvaro lived the dream of so many young athletes, but that wasn't his dream. His dream was to become a police officer.
"Everybody else wanted to be an NFL player, big league baseball player, or in the NBA, and he said, 'I was running around with police stuff. I always wanted to be a police officer,'" Eberlein said.
"A young man that is at the pinnacle of his profession, walking away and serving others? I don't know of too many of those," former St. John's baseball coach Ed Blankmeyer said.
While he served, Varvaro was involved with youth, and mentoring. All of that didn't go unnoticed.
"I know he was very involved in the Snug Harbor Little League. He's a Major League talent who decided to give back to young people, instill in them a sense of teamwork and the importance of working together," Staten Island Borough President Vito J. Fossella said.
"He is an incredible person and you can't replace someone like that in any way, shape or form," Staten Island City Councilman David Carr said.
"Active in the community, active with his neighbors and family. It's a great loss for the people of Staten Island," Assemblyman Michael Cusick added.
Varvaro is survived by his wife and four kids.
