By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-08 15:46:00 | Updated at 2026-08-09 04:14:56
12 hours ago
Twenty Port Authority workers — including 17 cops — pocketed $400,000 last year as the bistate agency’s payroll topped $1.2 billion, records show.
Eight of the bloated agency’s top earners collected more than $200,000 in overtime pay, records show.
A whopping 323 workers collected six figures in overtime — including 189 Port Authority cops — helping drive the bi-state agency’s 2025 payroll up 5% from the previous year, according to payroll data provided by the Empire Center for Public Policy.
Port Authority police officers — who protect many of the New York-New Jersey area’s tunnels, bridges, airports, rail lines, and bus and shipping terminals — are among the nation’s highest-paid law enforcement personnel.
While PA officers’ starting salary of $46,954 is well below what NYPD cops and state troopers pocket, they earn $131,703 in base pay after 10 years on the job, and routinely pile up massive overtime pay.
Leading the way last year was Police Lt. Nicholas Federico, whose base salary of $180,691 was dwarfed by his $215,717 in OT. He made $466,775 for the year, include fringe benefits.
Not far behind were two detective sergeants: Dewan Maharaj, who took in $448,601, including $147,937 in overtime; and Robert Zafonte Jr., who made $448,601, including $139,193 in OT.
Reginald Bowers, a chief maintenance supervisor, collected the agency’s largest overtime haul — $231,916 — boosting his total compensation to $421,041.
His combined pay ranked 11th at the debt-ridden authority, which also oversees the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan.
None of them could be reached for comment.
Richard Cotton — the PA’s executive director last year before retiring in January — saw his $327,918 salary surpassed by 94 underlings.
“Taxpayers are getting fleeced twice: first, paying for these high wages and overtime payments, and second, paying for pensions inflated by these high wages and overtime payments,” said Zilvinas Silenas, president of Empire Center, which obtained the data through a Freedom of Information Law request.
The rising payroll costs could also lead to higher fees and tolls, Silenas added.
The Port Authority in January raised its bridge and tunnel tolls by 3% while phasing out off-peak discounts to EZ Pass users.
In May, it hiked PATH train fares by a quarter, to $3.25, and additional 25-cent hikes are set over the next three years to pay for infrastructure improvements.
The average pay for the PA’s 8,356 workers in 2025 rose 3% from the previous year, to $144,033.
And a jaw-dropping 5,711 staff members — or 68% — earned overtime last year, bringing OT spending to $196 million, or 16% of total payroll, according to records.
Other findings include:
- Of the top 100 earners, 68 worked in the Police Department and 18 worked in the Aviation Department, which oversees airports.
- The PA’s cops racked up $85 million — or 43% of all OT.
- The 1,968 members of the Port Authority Police averaged $184,949 in pay last year.
Port Authority spokesman Seth Stein defended the rising payroll cost.
“Keeping the people we serve safe is non-negotiable and our highest priority,” he said. “Port Authority police protect some of the nation’s most vital transportation infrastructure around the clock, including facilities that remain significant terrorism targets.
“In recent years, we’ve added hundreds of new police officers, and average [police] overtime declined 9% from 2024 to 2025. We maintain strict oversight to ensure overtime is appropriate and necessary.”
