Twenty Port Authority staff — together with 17 cops — pocketed $400,000 final yr because the bistate company’s payroll topped $1.2 billion, data present.
Eight of the bloated company’s high earners collected greater than $200,000 in additional time pay, data present.
A whopping 323 staff collected six figures in additional time — together with 189 Port Authority cops — serving to drive the bi-state company’s 2025 payroll up 5% from the earlier yr, in response to payroll knowledge supplied by the Empire Heart for Public Coverage.
Port Authority law enforcement officials — who defend lots of the New York-New Jersey space’s tunnels, bridges, airports, rail traces, and bus and transport terminals — are among the many nation’s highest-paid legislation enforcement personnel.
Whereas PA officers’ beginning wage of $46,954 is effectively under what NYPD cops and state troopers pocket, they earn $131,703 in base pay after 10 years on the job, and routinely pile up huge additional time pay.
Main the way in which final yr was Police Lt. Nicholas Federico, whose base wage of $180,691 was dwarfed by his $215,717 in OT. He made $466,775 for the yr, embrace fringe advantages.
Not far behind had been two detective sergeants: Dewan Maharaj, who took in $448,601, together with $147,937 in additional time; and Robert Zafonte Jr., who made $448,601, together with $139,193 in OT.
Reginald Bowers, a chief upkeep supervisor, collected the company’s largest additional time haul — $231,916 — boosting his whole compensation to $421,041.
His mixed pay ranked eleventh on the debt-ridden authority, which additionally oversees the World Commerce Heart in Decrease Manhattan.
None of them may very well be reached for remark.
Richard Cotton — the PA’s government director final yr earlier than retiring in January — noticed his $327,918 wage surpassed by 94 underlings.
“Taxpayers are getting fleeced twice: first, paying for these excessive wages and additional time funds, and second, paying for pensions inflated by these excessive wages and additional time funds,” mentioned Zilvinas Silenas, president of Empire Heart, which obtained the information by means of a Freedom of Data Regulation request.
The rising payroll prices might additionally result in greater charges and tolls, Silenas added.
The Port Authority in January raised its bridge and tunnel tolls by 3% whereas phasing out off-peak reductions to EZ Go customers.
In Might, it hiked PATH practice fares by 1 / 4, to $3.25, and extra 25-cent hikes are set over the subsequent three years to pay for infrastructure enhancements.
The typical pay for the PA’s 8,356 staff in 2025 rose 3% from the earlier yr, to $144,033.
And a jaw-dropping 5,711 workers members — or 68% — earned additional time final yr, bringing OT spending to $196 million, or 16% of whole payroll, in response to data.
Different findings embrace:
- Of the highest 100 earners, 68 labored within the Police Division and 18 labored within the Aviation Division, 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 final yr.
Port Authority spokesman Seth Stein defended the rising payroll price.
“Maintaining the folks we serve protected is non-negotiable and our highest precedence,” he mentioned. “Port Authority police defend a number of the nation’s most important transportation infrastructure across the clock, together with services that stay important terrorism targets.
“Lately, we’ve added a whole bunch of latest law enforcement officials, and common [police] additional time declined 9% from 2024 to 2025. We keep strict oversight to make sure additional time is suitable and essential.”
