Support Ret. NYPD PO Anthony Barresi on his road to recovery

On July 12, 2025, retired NYPD Police Officer Anthony Barresi, 47, suffered a massive heart attack and went into cardiac arrest while on a family vacation in the Cayman Islands with his wife Nicole, daughter Gabriella, 18, and son Christopher, 15. Nicole, who is a registered nurse, immediately began life saving CPR as the children ran to the front desk for help. After performing several rounds of CPR, Nicole was able to detect a faint heartbeat as paramedics arrived. Once secured to the stretcher, the paramedics assisted by the fire department carried Anthony down three flights of stairs and he was loaded into the waiting ambulance for the forty-minute drive to the Island’s Health Citi Hospital.

At Health Citi Hospital in the Cayman Islands, Anthony underwent emergency heart surgery an Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump (IABP) was temporarily inserted into his chest to help his heart pump blood throughout his body. The following day, Anthony was placed on an Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) where a patient's body is connected to an external circuit that oxygenates and circulates the blood, acting as an artificial heart. Nicole was informed that he was not out of the woods and his heart was still in need of more surgery and major repairs – she knew she had to get him back to the United States to save his life. She immediately began contacting medical professionals at home to arrange for transport.

On July 15, 2025, Anthony was placed on an emergency air medical helicopter which needed to fly at sea level due to his unstable cardiac condition from the Cayman Islands to HCA Kendall Hospital in Miami, Florida. Once there and somewhat stabilized, the medical team determined he had to be flown once again by emergency air medical helicopter to Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest in Pennsylvania for a second surgery. On July 21, 2025, doctors conducted the second surgery where they found two surgical sponges that were left inside Anthony’s chest cavity during the initial surgery in the Caymans – this caused a severe sepsis infection throughout his body. The surgical team pushed through and successfully implanted both a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) and a Right Ventricular Assist Device (RVAD) which internally assist the heart in pumping blood throughout the body. Anthony remains in Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest hospital in the care of an Advanced Heart Failure Team which is composed of a team of Cardiologist, Cardiothoracic Surgeons, Dieticians, and Nephrologists.

Anthony’s recovery will be long-term, and his prognosis is uncertain. We started this fundraiser to assist his family with the financial burden of the two emergency air medical helicopter flights and the uncertainties that will certainly come with the long-term medical care Anthony now requires.

Anthony spent his 20-year career assigned to the 120th Precinct in Staten Island, New York, before retiring in 2022. Since his retirement, Anthony owned and operated a small home improvement company based in the New Jersey/Pennsylvania area. Due to the long-term health issues Anthony now faces, he will no longer be able to continue working. We are reaching out to our community to support the Barresi family as they navigate through this life-altering, catastrophic event. Please donate what you can and share Anthony’s story and Go Fund Me page with your friends and family. Lastly, we ask that you pray for his family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.