A former Major League Baseball pitcher who took early retirement in 2016 to become a New York police officer was killed in a car crash while driving to work at the 9/11 memorial service, police said.
Anthony Varvaro, 37, who was a Staten Island native and a married father of four, was killed in a head-on crash along with another driver going the wrong way near Exit 14-C in Jersy City, New Jersey State Police Trooper Charles Marchan said.
Varvaro, who was driving his Nissan Maxima, was struck in a head-on collision by a Toyota Rav around 4.25am on Sunday. The crash remains under investigation by police.
He earned the moniker of “Little Pedro Martinez” after he began his professional baseball career with the Seattle Mariners in 2005, having playing at St John’s University in New York City.
The other driver, identified as Henry A Plazas, 30, of Bridgewater, was driving west on the Hudson Bay Extension in the eastbound lanes, he said.
In his six-year career, Varvaro played as a relief pitcher with the Seattle Mariners, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox before retiring in 2016 to join law enforcement.
He was on his way to work at the commemoration of the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks at the World Trade Centre when he was killed, Port Authority police superintendent Edward Cetnar said, according to Daily Voice.
“Words cannot describe the tragedy that is losing [him],” the Staten Island’s Snug Harbor Little League, where Varvaro was president, said.
“A man that embodied all that is good in youth sports, he will be forever missed. Not only was Anthony the President, he was a tremendous person. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.”
“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 said.
The Staten Island Baseball Oldtimers described Varvaro “a true gentleman and great family man”.
“He was always willing to help the Staten Island sports community any way he could. He helped us run youth clinics and always had a smile on his face. He won our Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. He will be truly missed.”
