A memorial candlelight vigil has been arranged to honour the memory of murdered NYPD officer Jonathan Diller. He was performing a routine traffic stop in Far Rockaway when he was shot dead after a confrontation ensued involving an illegally-parked vehicle.
Diller, a married father of a boy, 1, was shot in the stomach during the argument in Queens. The incident took place after police tried to remove 34-year-old Guy Rivera, the suspect, from the passenger seat of the car near 19-19 Mott Ave.
Witness Deon Peters said that the suspect opened fire, following which Diller fell to the ground and yelled that he had been “hit.” “He was moving, he was saying, ‘I’m hit, I’m hit!’ Giving location and all that,” Peters said, according to New York Post. “Like he was crying, like he was really crying.”
Diller was pronounced dead after being taken to Jamaica Hospital. NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban wrote on X, “Tonight this city lost a hero, a wife lost her husband, and a young child lost their father. We struggle to find the words to express the tragedy of losing one of our own. The work that Police Officer Jonathan Diller did each day to make this city a safer place will NEVER be forgotten. Our prayers are with his family, loved ones, and brothers and sisters in blue.”
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said that even after being shot, Diller, a resident of Long Island, took the gun away from Rivera when it fell to the ground. Rivera, too, was struck in the back after Diller’s partner returned gunfire. The suspect has as many as 21 previous arrests. He was taken to Jamaica Hospital, and was said to be in stable condition. The driver of Rivera’s car, Lindy Jones, also has a criminal background.
During a press conference at Jamaica Hospital, Mayor Eric Adams said, “We lost Jonathan tonight. I can’t not say it any clearer: It is the good guys against the bad guys and these bad guys are violent.” He referred to the shooting as a “senseless act of violence.”
Who was Jonathan Diller?
A member of patrol borough Queens south’s community response team, Diller has been described by PBA president Patrick Hendry as a “hero police officer.” “Our hero police officer confronted this dangerous individual knowing that he was putting himself at risk, knowing that he had a family waiting for him at home,” Hendry said. “But he did it to protect the people of this city and we need every single New Yorker to be with this family.”
“These attacks on New York City police officers have to end right now,” he added. “We have a family upstairs right now that’s devastated. We have police officers in this hallway who have lost a brother. It has to end now.”
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino, County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Massapequa Park Village Mayor Daniel Pearl will host the upcoming memorial candlelight vigil on March 27 at 7 pm at Brady Park in Massapequa Park. The Oyster Bay Town website says, “Officials have also directed all flags be flown half-staff at County, Town and Village facilities.”
“Our hearts are heavy as we honor the memory of Officer Jonathan Diller, a true hero who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our community and public safety,” said Supervisor Saladino, as per the website. “His bravery and selflessness made him a model officer to his brothers and sisters in law enforcement, who risk their lives each and every day to protect ours. In gathering as a community to join together in mourning, we pay tribute to Officer Diller’s courage and honor his memory. On behalf of my colleagues on the Town Board, I extend by deepest sympathies to Officer Diller’s family, friends and colleagues. His legacy of service will always be remembered.”
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