City first lady Chirlane McCray’s chief of staff won special approval to live in New Jersey by claiming her son suffered devastating physical injuries in two car crashes — even though the strapping kid had fully recovered and played linebacker for his high school football team, The Post has learned.

Former Al Sharpton mouthpiece Rachel Noerdlinger’s son, Khari, 19, played nine games at the physically demanding position, racking up 41 tackles and two sacks during the 2013 season, according to websites that track high school football stats.

Yet his remarkable recovery is never mentioned in a letter she got from Mayor Bill de Blasio’s chief of staff on her behalf — which specifically cites his “mental and physical condition” as the reason they need to stay in the Garden State.

“It would be a hardship to require Ms. Noerdlinger to relocate in light of her son’s medical condition and social supports in place to help him through an indefinite, long-term process of recovery,” Laura Santucci wrote Stacey Cumberbatch, head of the city’s personnel agency.

Khari suffered multiple facial fractures, a concussion and a broken nose — requiring multiple surgeries — in the first accident, in July 2012, when he was a passenger in a car that collided with another vehicle, according to a City Hall source.

Five months later, he was struck by a car while walking home, breaking his shoulder and arm, the source said.

About a year after the accident, Khari — who is 6 feet and 200 pounds — returned to the football field, where he was a regular on the Palisades Park High School defense and returned kickoffs.



It would be a hardship to require Ms. Noerdlinger to relocate in light of her son’s medical condition and social supports in place to help him through an indefinite, long-term process of recovery. - Laura Santucci

His top plays during his senior year were captured in videos and posted online to attract college recruiters. He graduated from high school in June and currently works as a music producer.

His proud mom even bragged about her son’s resilience, posting a photo of Khari on Instagram on a running track.

“Never have I met a more injury-prone person than my son. He is the king of bumps and bruises . . . and he always bounces right back like a rubber band #resilient,” Noerdlinger wrote in September 2013.

She flaunted her son’s prominent position on the team with other Instagram posts of him in uniform.

“Final game before state playoffs — PPL/Leonia vs Ridgefield #KhariNoerdlinger,” she wrote.

Noerdlinger — whose live-in boyfriend, Hassaun McFarlane, was revealed this week to have posted anti-police rants online — did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

The mayor’s office also did not return calls, but a City Hall official said the Conflicts of Interest Board reviewed and approved the residency waiver.

Chief of staff Santucci first requested a temporary waiver so that Noerdlinger could “continue existing school arrangements for her teenage son,” according to documents.

She followed up with a second request on June 30, after Khari’s graduation, requesting a permanent waiver — this time by saying it would be a “substantial hardship” for Khari to change doctors.

Santucci said the school was sending a teacher to Khari’s home “to support his successful completing of the school year.”

Cumberbatch bought the argument and granted the permanent waiver — which allowed Noerdlinger to keep her $170,000 job as a senior aide to McCray without having to move into the city.