MLB Star-Turned-Cop Dies In Car Crash On His Way To 9/11 Commemoration

Former Major League Baseball player Anthony Varvaro, who ended up becoming an instructor for the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD), died in a car crash while on his way to a 9/11 commemoration, authorities said.

A Toyota RAV4 going the wrong way on the New Jersey Turnpike Hudson Bay Extension East struck Varvaro's vehicle near milepost 6.7 at 4:25 a.m. Sunday, NBC News reported, citing the New Jersey State Police.

At the time of the incident, the 37-year-old was headed to the service for the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 attacks at the World Trade Center, authorities said.

Henry A. Plazas, the driver of the RAV4 that struck Varvaro's vehicle, was also killed, according to police.

It was unclear why Plazas, 30, of Bridgewater, was driving in the wrong direction.

An investigation into the cause of the collision was underway, authorities said.

"The entire Port Authority family is heartbroken to learn of the tragic passing of Officer Anthony Varvaro," Kevin O'Toole, the chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Rick Cotton, the organization's Executive Director, said in a joint statement.

"Officer Varvaro represented the very best of this agency and will be remembered for his courage and commitment to service. On behalf of the agency, we send our deepest condolences to Officer Varvaro's wife, Kerry, his four children and his family and friends," the statement continued, according to the New York Post.

The Port Authority Police Benevolent Association was "shocked and saddened" by Varvaro's death, Frank Conti, the union's president, said in a statement.

Varvaro, a criminal justice graduate from St. John's University, played for the Seattle Mariners, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox before retiring from baseball in June 2016.

The Staten Island native reportedly joined the PAPD in the same year, where he started out at the World Trade Center Command.

Varvaro would eventually become an instructor at the department's police academy.

"We are deeply saddened [by] the passing of former Braves pitcher Anthony Varvaro. Anthony, 37, played parts of six seasons in the majors, including four with Atlanta," the Braves said in a statement. "He voluntarily retired from MLB in 2016 to become a Port Authority police officer."