Two Port Authority officers ‘are suspended for ignoring one-way driver who killed cop, ex-MLB star’
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Two Port Authority detectives have reportedly been suspended for ignoring a wrong-way driver, who committed suicide, and Officer Anthony Varvaro, a former MLB pitcher, in a two-car collision.
Henry Plaras, 30, was driving his Toyota Rav4 to the Ground Zero ceremony on September 11 in lower Manhattan, when Detectives Daniel Rafael and John Basile reportedly saw him driving the wrong way on the New Jersey Turnpike Hudson Bay Extension, according to him New York Post.
Neither Rafael nor Basile informed Plaras, who ultimately collided with Varvaro’s police vehicle, the Post reports. Later, unaware of the fatal ramifications of their decision to ignore Plaras, the two detectives discussed seeing the wrong-way driver on his way to the Ground Zero memorial for the 9/11 ceremony that day, according to the Post. Rafael and Plaras have reportedly been suspended, as well as two other detectives in connection with the incident.
“This driver could have killed a lot of people because of the way he was driving,” a source told the Post. “All they had to do was report the driver and the officers would have responded to stop the driver…Maybe they would have saved Officer Varvaro’s life.”
Varvaro, 37, a married father of four from Staten Island, pitched for six seasons with the Seattle Mariners, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox before leaving the sport to become a Port Authority official in 2016.
Varvaro, 37, a married father of four from Staten Island, pitched for six seasons with the Seattle Mariners, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox before leaving the sport to become a Port Authority official in 2016.
Port Authority spokeswoman Lenis Valens issued a statement to DailyMail.com, saying there have been four suspensions following the department’s investigation. However, she declined to identify the individuals, citing the ongoing disciplinary process.
“The Port Authority continues to mourn the tragic loss of Officer Varvaro,” Valens said in a statement issued to DailyMaill.com. “After learning of these allegations, the agency immediately launched a rigorous external investigation, and based on the results of that investigation, the Superintendent of Police has suspended four members of the Port Authority Police Department and commenced disciplinary proceedings. formal.
“In light of the pending disciplinary process, we will have no further comment on this matter at this time, except to say that our hearts go out very much to the Varvaro family.”
Police line the streets as they attend the funeral of police officer Anthony Varvaro at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Staten Island.
Kerry Varvaro and her 3 sons, Anthony Jr., Jonathan and Christian watch Anthony Varvaro’s casket leave Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Staten Island
The Braves observe a moment of silence for former player Anthony Varvaro, who was murdered on September 11, 2022 before the Friday night MLB game between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies on September 16, 2022.
A representative for the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office told the Post Monday that they conducted an internal investigation and referred the matter to the Port Authority “for administrative handling.”
Varvaro’s family knew the Port Authority was conducting an investigation, according to the Post.
A former Little League World Series star, Varvaro went on to pitch for St. John’s, where he also earned a degree in criminal justice.
After undergoing elbow surgery in college, Varvaro was drafted by the Mariners in the 12th round of the MLB Draft.
He would go on to appear in 153 MLB games in relief, finishing his Boston career at age 30 with a solid 3.23 earned run average.
Since his death, Varvaro has been honored by the Atlanta Braves, for whom he pitched for four seasons.