Charity Pays Off Mortgage For Family Of Dead NYPD Officer
Published
A charity has paid off the mortgage for the family of an NYPD officer who died while on duty.
Officer Anastasios Tsakos died on April 27 after being struck and killed while assisting his fellow officers at the scene of a crash on the Long Island Expressway.
The ordeal took place around 2am and, as Tsakos was stood by his police car, a female driver under the influence hit him.
The unnamed woman was reportedly driving with a suspended license and fled the scene after striking the officer. She was later arrested, however.
Tsakos, a 14-year veteran of the New York Police Department, is survived by his wife, Irene, and two young children; aged six and three.
Following his tragic death, Irene was concerned she wouldn’t be able to afford their family home anymore after having only purchased it last year.
Officer Tsakos’ brother Teddy explained that Irene has expressed her financial worries to him – but these were soon to be solved by Tunnel to Towers CEO Frank Siller.
Teddy said, as per Fox News:
She told me what are we going to do now? Am I going to have to move again?’ Two hours later, Siller called to tell them not to worry and that “the kids are going to grow up in this house”.
Tunnel to Towers has a foundation programme set up solely to help families of a fallen first aider.
The description given on its site reads, ‘Born from the tragedy of 9/11, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation carries out its mission to “do good,” by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and by building custom-designed smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders.’
With this in mind, the Tsakos family fit the bill for funding and have now had their mortgage paid off, meaning Officer Tsako’s wife and two children don’t have to worry about being unable to afford their home.
Siller has since dubbed the late police officer as a ‘hero’. He said, ‘We are devastated by this tragic loss. Officer Tsakos was one of our city’s heroes who went to work to keep us and our city safe and he did not make it home to his wife and children.’
In the wake of his death, NYPD Police Commissioner Dermot Shea posthumously promoted Tsakos to detective first grade and presented a gold detective shield to his wife, Fox News reported.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.
Topics: Life, Charity, Death, New York Police Department, Police Officer
