Widow of former MLB pitcher, now a police officer, killed in accident on way to 9/11 ceremony receives full compensation

The family of a former professional baseball player who later worked as a Port Authority police officer and was killed in a wrong-way driving accident on his way to a Sept. 11 ceremony will receive full benefits, overturning a previously denied settlement, lawmakers and the family said this week.

Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill on Wednesday, sponsored by two politicians from the Big Apple, that would award accidental death benefits to the widow of Anthony Varvaro and the couple's four children after he died in a horrific accident on the New Jersey Turnpike.

The 37-year-old Staten Island resident was on his way to work at the 9/11 Service in Manhattan in 2022.

Varvaro went from pitching against Major League Baseball hitters to protecting the tri-state area as a Port Authority police officer in 2016.

“We will never forget Anthony and his contributions to our union, our agency and the people he served,” said Frank Conti, president of the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association, and Shaun Kehoe, director of legislative affairs, in a joint statement recognizing the passed legislation.

Varvaro's brother-in-law, Jim Thomson, told the Post that the approved death benefit was “effectively a full pension” that his wife would receive. She initially received a smaller lump sum after his death, he added.

“While nothing can replace him, it is comforting to know that his death on the path to protecting Ground Zero received the recognition he deserves,” the family said in a statement.

His family had previously been denied payment by the state, prompting State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton and Representative Charles Fall to introduce a bill that would reverse that decision.

Thomson said he believes the claim was initially denied by the state because Varvaro was technically off duty at the time of the fatal accident – when a wrong-way driver crashed into his vehicle.

However, according to a press release from Hochul's office, the law presumed that Varvaro's death was caused by an accident that occurred in the “performance of his duty.”

According to the State Audit Office, the accidental death benefit is a lifelong pension paid to the surviving spouse of a dependent parent.

“The tragic loss of Anthony two years ago today deeply shocked the North Shore of Staten Island. 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 receives the support they need and deserve.”

Varvaro was a major league pitcher for six years, spending most of his career with the Atlanta Braves.