In remembrance of her husband, an NYPD highway officer who tragically lost his life to a drunk driver harboring animosity towards police, a widow is organizing a blood drive to honor his memory on the fifth anniversary of his passing.
Detective Anastasios Tsakos, a devoted father of two, was tragically struck down by Jessica Beauvais, a hit-and-run driver under the influence, on the Long Island Expressway in Queens on April 27, 2021. He was 43 years old.
Irene Tsakos, mourning her loss yet inspired to carry forward her husband’s legacy, is arranging the blood drive at the NYPD’s Highway 3 Precinct, located at 198-15 Grand Central Parkway, Queens. The event is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., as she resides in Greenlawn, Long Island.
“I refuse to let his memory fade, and I want to continue doing good, just like he always did,” Irene expressed with heartfelt determination. “My aim is to perpetuate his legacy, even though he is no longer with us.”
Her children, now aged 8 and 11, comprehend the sacrifice their father made while serving others, she shared.
“They are aware of their father’s dedication and optimism, his selflessness,” she conveyed. “He was a hero in every sense. They miss him deeply, every day.”
Tsakos, a 14-year NYPD veteran who was part of the force’s elite Highway 3 Patrol Unit, was responding to a car accident around 2 a.m. in Fresh Meadows when he was struck head-on by Beauvais’s Volkswagen. She fled but was arrested shortly after the crash, cops said.
She was high on drugs and had a blood alcohol level of .15 percent — nearly twice the legal limit — when she hit him after she boozed it up during an anti-cop rant on a Facebook podcast.
The widow recalled that some of her husband’s happiest moments were when he could help a driver who was stranded on the side of the road.
“He would always come home and tell me about these things,” she said. “It was mostly the help, the service he could provide, that’s what made him the happiest. I know because he would tell me every time.”
She believes her husband would be pleased about the event.
“If we could save a life, that’s what would make my husband very happy,” she said. “He would love it, because that’s who he was. He just wanted to help.”
She continued: “Whether you knew him, or knew of him, or just want to honor first responders, please come donate blood because it directly helps others in need and it celebrates a life of service.”
