Family, friends, and a sea of blue uniforms gathered for the funeral of slain New York Police Department officer Jonathan Diller on Saturday.
Mourners filled St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church and crowded the areas outside as a funeral mass was celebrated for the 31-year-old officer.
Diller’s widow, Stephanie Diller, received a standing ovation when she approached the church lectern to deliver her remarks. Fighting back tears, Stephanie Diller thanked the public for the outpouring of support following her husband’s death.
“I am so proud that thousands of people across the country are calling Johnathan a hero, but the truth is that he’s always been a hero to Ryan and me,” she said. “The rest of the world is just catching up.”
She also demanded change.
“How many more police officers and how many more families have to make the ultimate sacrifice before we start protecting them?” Stephanie questioned. She later closed her eulogy, saying, “When the gates of Heaven open for me, I hope I will see Jonathan standing there, looking at me like he did on our wedding day. Rest in peace, Jonathan Diller, the man who captured my heart and now all of New York’s.”
NYPD pallbearers carry the casket of NYPD officer Jonathan Diller at his funeral at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Massapequa, New York. ((Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images))
New York City Mayor Eric Adams also commended Diller as a hero during his remarks at the service, recalling the final moments of the officer’s life.
“Even after he had been shot […] he fought, and took the gun away from the person who would take his life,” Adams recounted.
The mayor vowed to ensure the city would be made more safe, saying “making sure that violent career criminals are held accountable for their crimes, and doing all we can to end gun violence in this city.”
NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban announced that Diller had been posthumously promoted to detective — with a badge number to honor his son Ryan.
“His new badge number is 110, his son’s birthday,” Caban explained. “What Diller loved most was being Ryan’s dad.”
METS PAY TRIBUTE TO SLAIN NYPD OFFICER JONATHAN DILLER ON OPENING DAY
The hearse carrying the casket of NYPD officer Jonathan Diller arrives for his funeral in Massapequa, New York. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, struggled to keep from crying as he spoke out against the two suspects accused of shooting Diller during a traffic stop and commended the NYPD’s “hero.”
Diller’s coffin was carried out of the church as the hymn “Lift High the Cross” was played and sung by attendees.
Diller was fatally shot on Monday during a traffic stop in Queens after a man with 21 prior arrests allegedly shot him in the stomach as Diller was trying to make the suspect — Guy Rivera, 34 — exit the vehicle.
Rivera reportedly opened fire on Diller and his partner at about 5:45 p.m. The officers had approached the vehicle because it had been illegally parked at a bus stop.
NYPD pallbearers carry the casket of NYPD officer Jonathan Diller as a priest blesses it with holy water. ((Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images))
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Another man who was in the vehicle at the time of Diller’s death, Lindy Jones, was also charged following the death, including for criminal possession of a weapon and defacing a weapon.
Former President Donald Trump attended the wake on Thursday afternoon.
The Archdiocese of New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan also attended the wake and offered condolences to the family and police department.
The following day, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appeared at his wake briefly before leaving after speaking with a man outside the funeral home.
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