Widow of MLB pitcher-turned- cop killed in crash on way to 9/11 ceremony to receive full benefits
The family of a pro ballplayer-turned-Port Authority cop — who was killed in a wrong-way crash on the way to a 9/11 ceremony — will receive full benefits, reversing a previous rejection, lawmakers and family said this week.
Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation on Wednesday championed by a pair of Big Apple politicians that granted Anthony Varvaro’s widow and the couple’s four children the accidental death benefit after he was killed in a horrific collision on the New Jersey Turnpike.
The 37-year-old Staten Island resident had been on his way to work at Manhattan’s 9/11 service in 2022.
Varvaro went from pitching against Major League Baseball batters to protecting the tristate area as a Port Authority cop in 2016.
“We will never forget Anthony and his contributions to our union, agency, and the people he served,” Port Authority Police Benevolent Association president Frank Conti and legislative director Shaun Kehoe said in a joint statement recognizing the approved legislation.
Varvaro’s brother-in-law, Jim Thomson, told The Post the approved death benefit is “effectively a full pension” that will be received by his wife. She was initially receiving a smaller lump sum following his death, he added.
“While nothing can replace him, it is comforting to know that his passing en route to protect Ground Zero received the recognition it deserved in this regard,” the family said in statement.
His family was previously denied the payout by the state, which led State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton and Assemblyman Charles Fall to spearhead legislation that would reverse that decision.
Thomson said he believes the claim was originally rejected by the state because Varvaro was not technically on duty at the time of the deadly crash — when a wrong-way driver slammed into his vehicle.
But the legislation deemed Varvaro’s death was caused by a crash that happened in the “performance of duty,” Hochul’s office said in a press release.
The accidental death benefit is a lifetime pension paid to a surviving spouse of a dependent parent, according to the state comptroller’s office.
“The tragic loss of Anthony two years ago today was one that struck the North Shore of Staten Island deeply. His life reflects that of a hometown hero who, through talent and virtue, became a star in his community, state, and country,” Scarcella-Spanton said in a statement.
“While we cannot return him to his wife and four children, it is imperative that his family has the support they need and deserve.”
Varvaro pitched in the big leagues for six years with most of career spent with the Atlanta Braves.
