Thousands of NYPD Officers Unite in Mourning at Funeral for Slain Officer Jonathan Diller (VIDEO)
On a solemn Saturday, members of the New York Police Department and family and friends came together in an overwhelming show of unity and grief at the St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church to bid farewell to Officer Jonathan E. Diller.
The 31-year-old officer, who tragically lost his life in the line of duty in Queens earlier this week, was honored for his bravery, commitment to service, and the profound impact he had on his family and community.
Officer Diller, a dedicated member of the NYPD with three years of service, leaves behind a wife, Stephanie, and a 1-year-old son, Ryan.
Officer Diller was shot and killed by a career criminal in New York City with 21 previous arrests and nine felony charges. President Trump also reportedly gave a generous donation to Tunnel to Towers, the foundation that paid off the family mortgage of slain NYPD officer Jonathan Diller.
The heartrending scene at the church saw Stephanie Diller delivering a moving eulogy, with their young son held close, as she recounted the life and legacy of a man she described as not just a hero in uniform but a loving husband and father.
In a procession marked by honor and mourning, NYPD officers escorted the hearse carrying Officer Diller’s casket to its final resting place at St. Charles Resurrection Cemetery in Farmingdale.
Today, we joined together to mourn and say our final goodbyes to Detective Jonathan Diller, a true hero who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to his city. His bravery and dedication to keeping his community safe will never be forgotten. #FidelisAsMortem pic.twitter.com/LL1bBImBdl
— NYPD Chief of Patrol (@NYPDChiefPatrol) March 30, 2024
WATCH:
JUST IN: Thousands of New York police gather for slain NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller’s funeral today. pic.twitter.com/yvmQHELsEy
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) March 30, 2024
Another video:
Officer Diller was posthumously promoted to Detective First Grade, a recognition of his bravery and dedication, with NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban assigning him shield number 110, symbolically representing his son’s birthday.
The NYPD will always uphold our most solemn vow to #neverforget. That eternal recognition of Jonathan begins today, as I am honored and privileged to promote Police Officer Jonathan Diller to Detective First Grade.
His new shield number is 110, his son’s birthday. pic.twitter.com/4eaFuMnZFK
— Edward A. Caban (@NYPDPC) March 30, 2024
Read the deeply moving tribute delivered by the widow of fallen NYPD Detective Jonathan Diller via the New York Post:
Hello everyone, I am Stephanie Diller, Jonathan’s wife.
I had not had the opportunity to speak before this moment, so what I would like to say, on behalf of the entire Diller family, is thank you all for the support this week.
The outpouring of love that our family has received has been overwhelming and we are forever thankful to everyone.
With every hug that I’ve received, I just picture that each one is from Jonathan.
I wish Jonathan was here to see the incredible kindness and generosity that has been shown to our family. But I know in his own way he is here watching over us.
I am so proud that thousands of people across the country are calling Jonathan a hero. But the truth is he’s always been a hero to Ryan and me. The rest of the world is just catching up. Although he was beyond proud to be a member of NYPD, his career was one of his many roles.
I want to also honor Jonathan for who he was out of uniform. I am not sure where to start and I could probably talk about Jonathan for hours, so I’ll start from the beginning:
Jonathan was born and raised on Long Island. The son of Fran and Steven Diller, and brother to Jennifer and Jason. He was the youngest of the three, which obviously means he was the mischievous one. But he also had the sweetest heart and the guiltiest conscience. So he would always smooth things over by making his mom handwritten apology letters.
He grew up . . . playing lacrosse and hockey, forming friendships that would last a lifetime. He was a connector: the kinda guy who would draw people in, and find something in common with everyone, a friend to everyone.
Following his graduation from . . . high school, he attended SUNY Maritime, where he lived with his cousin Robert. He loved telling stories of traveling all over the world, seeing beautiful places and making amazing memories.
After graduation, Jonathan and I started dating, after getting set up by our mutual friend Evan. I remember on one of our very first dates, we went to see a movie. He was so tired from work that he fell asleep in the movie theater. He started snoring so loudly that the people around us asked me to wake him up. But of course, if you ever ask him the story, I am the one who fell asleep, started snoring and embarrassed him.
It didn’t take long for me to realize how special he was. He loved to make everyone laugh, and he had the most infectious personality. When you talk to him, he really listens. And he made me feel like I was the only person in the room.
[…]
In November of 2019, at our wedding, I remember being so nervous to walk down the aisle in front of so many people. But as soon as the church doors opened, I saw him looking at me and I realized how lucky I was. He looked at me like I was his whole world. And he always treated me like I was his whole world.
Together we lived a very simple life in Massapequa. We worked hard, we relaxed at home when we could and we had the cutest dog, Tucker. We did everything together and I really mean that. We were best friends. He would call us Batman and Robin, but he said I was Batman and he was Robin. When I would meet people, I would say: if you like me, wait until you meet my husband.
He . . . decided to become a police officer in 2021. Everyone was so proud that he found something he loved to do, and he was exceptional at it. He would go in early, stay late, work overtime, all because he just loved it. It’s no surprise he was an incredible police officer when you think about what type of man he was. He was always putting people above himself, dropping everything to help someone in need, and speaking up for what was right. He was a fierce protector of everyone around him. He spoke his mind and he wasn’t afraid. I always admired him for his honesty and courage. He was my absolute greatest confidante.
Nothing compares to his best role of being a dad. Jonathan always wanted to be a dad. And he wasted no time being the greatest one. I will never forget the look on his face when our son was born. I don’t think we could ever achieve a greater happiness. He was so proud of Ryan. Every time he did something new, it was like explosion of joy for both of us. Jonathan wanted nothing more than just showing Ryan to everyone he knew. He was excited that Ryan’s first word was ‘Dada,’ and I remember, I would playfully try to get him to say ‘Mama’ instead. But now I never want to stop hearing Ryan say Dada.
I could never ask for a better partner to raise a child with than Jonathan. We were a team. He would always kiss and hug me in front of Ryan, and he said he wanted Ryan to see that his dad loves his mommy so much. And then we would pick him up between the two of us and smoosh his cheeks with kisses together.
[…]
He was called in to duty, and in typical Jonathan fashion, he didn’t run away. He did what was right and he did what he loved. He wasn’t the type to sugar-coat anything, so I won’t sugar-coat this: This is devastating, this is devastating, senseless and tragic loss for so many — our family, our friends, and the entire city of New York.
It’s a shame that someone who brought so much positivity in the world, was given such a negative ending. There was so much he was looking forward to . . . . seeing his friends become fathers and watching his son grow.
It breaks my heart that Ryan was robbed to grow up with his dad. Jonathan had so many things he wanted to teach him, like how to play ice hockey, how to drive a car, ride a bike. To watch Ryan go to his first day of school, and watching him graduate on his last.
I am eternally grateful that Jonathan made me Ryan’s mother. If am missing him, I can look at Ryan to feel close to him, because his son is just like him — always making people smile. And I promise to raise him even more like his dad. It’s hard to imagine how long I have to wait until I see Jonathan again. When the doors of heaven open for me one day, I hope to see Jonathan standing there looking at me just like he did on our wedding day.
My husband died a hero, but he also lived like one. Our world will never be the same, but I know I speak for everyone when I say I could not be more proud of him.
[…]
I don’t wish this kind of pain on anyone. Jonathan lived his life doing good for people, and it’s now time for people to do good for all the officer he represents. Which reminds me — to all his friends at 105-CRT and the boys, he wanted me to say “I love you.”
Jonathan, I don’t know how I am going to live without you. I’m so amazingly grateful for every single moment we had with you.
Rest in Peace, Jonathan, the man who captured my heart and now all of New York’s.
You can email Jim Hᴏft here, and read more of Jim Hᴏft’s articles here.