Slain hero city cop Jonathan Diller came from a “real-life ‘Blue Bloods’ family” — which posted a heartbreaking message online Tuesday to add to photos from happier times showing him at his wedding and with his baby.
“Jon, there are no words to describe how devastated we are thatyou are gone,’’ wrote Diller’s brother-in-law, Jonathan McAuley, also an NYPD cop.
“You were a good man and a great father whose shoes can never be filled,’’ said the grieving McAuley, who is married to the dead 31-year-old cop’s sister. “I swear to you that I will look after your son as if he were my own.
9
“For the rest ofmy life.’’
A high-ranking police source told The Post on Tuesday that the family is akin to the cop dynasty featured on CBS TV’s long-running classic “Blue Bloods” series.
“This is the real-life ‘Blue Bloods’ family— there are a tremendous number of cops in the family,” the source said.
In addition to his brother-in-law, Diller also had a female cousin whoisan NYPD officer, a police source said.
Diller was fatally gunned down around 5:50 p.m. Monday during a routine traffic stop in Far Rockaway, Queens, when the suspected killer refused to get out of an illegally parked car and pumped a bullet into the hero officer’s stomach under his protective vest.
Touching Facebook photos depict Diller — who had participated in more than 70 busts in his three short years on the force — as a family man and doting dad.
9
How Post Readers Can Help
You can help Officer Jonathan Diller’s 1-year-old son via the Silver Shield Foundation, which will help fund his future education. Diller, 31, was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Queens, leaving behind his wife, Stephanie, and baby Ryan.
The Silver Shield Foundation was launched in 1982 by late New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for the families of NYPD officers and FDNY firefighters who lose their lives in the line of duty
You can make a contribution atsilvershieldfoundation.org/donateor send it to: Silver Shield Foundation, 870 UN Plaza, 1st Floor, New York, NY 10017
He cut a dapper figure in a black tuxedo when he walked down the aisle with his new bride, Stephanie McAuley, in November 2019, snapshots show.
In one joyful photo, the newlyweds lift their joined hands in the air as they leave the church surrounded by loved ones.
9
This past July,Diller was pictured proudly posing alongside hisbabysonRyan — who turned 1 in January —as he served as a groomsman at his sister’s Long Island nuptials, another photo shows.
Diller, of Massapequa Park on Long Island, was allegedly shot by Guy Rivera, 34, authorities say.
Start your day with all you need to know
Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.
Thanks for signing up!
“What started out as an everyday car stop, instantly became a moment where so many lives would be turned upside down,” McAuley wrote.
“Jon leaves behind a wife and a one-year-old son who will now grow up without his father.
9
“To those of you out there in the streets, it can be so easy to become wrapped in the moment,’’ said the cop, who has worked in the NYPD’s Aviation Unit.
“To think horrible events like this can’t happen to you. To become focused on making that next arrest or racing to the action.
“Remember those who love you in the moment,’’ the brother-in-law said.
What to know about the fatal shooting of NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller:
- Diller, 31, was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop in Far Rockaway, Queens, on March 25, 2024.
- Suspect Guy Rivera allegedly opened fire on Diller on Monday evening after the cop approached the vehicle Rivera was in for parking in front of a bus stop.
- Diller was shot once in the stomach below his bulletproof vest. The married father of a 1-year-old boy was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
- Rivera was wounded when Diller’s partner returned fire. The suspect has 21 prior arrests and was found to have a shiv stored in his rectum during the shooting — in apparent anticipation of being sent to jail again.
- Lindy Jones, the ex-con behind the wheel of the car during the shooting, was also arrested after a second gun was found in his car.
- Mayor Eric Adams has renewed his calls for Albany to address criminal recidivism following the shooting involving two suspects with lengthy criminal records.
Follow The Post’s complete coverage of fallen NYPD Officer Diller’s wake
The grieving relative also shared photos of Diller smiling alongside his wife and son in a rescue helicopter. McAuley was pictured in his own NYPD uniform.
9
A short time later, McAuley shared a photo of a young boy appearing to be Diller’s son wearing a “thin blue line” t-shirt emblazoned with the words “My Daddy’s life matters.”
The thin blue line – meant to represent the separation of society and chaos – is a symbol of support for police around the country.
The area where Diller was shot is a known hotbed for gang activity, law-enforcement sources said.
Despite his injuries, the cop was able to get the gun away from the shooter after it fell to the pavement, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said during a press briefing a few hours after the incident.
Rivera waseventuallyshot in the back by Diller’s partner.
Both Diller and Rivera were taken to Jamaica Hospital, where the police officer— a former SUNY Maritime College student —was pronounced dead.
“Jonathan Diller represented everything that is good about public service,” NYPD Commissioner Eddie Caban wrote in anemotionalinternal letter to the force Tuesday.
9
“Yesterday, he was taken from us in a sudden, senseless act of violence. It is a tragedy that leaves us hurting, angry, and with many more questions than answers. But even in this tremendous grief, always know that you are not alone,”the top copwrote.
Caban urged other officers to seek support if they find themselves struggling under “the eyes of the world” in the wake of Diller’s death.
9
Visitationwith Diller’s familywill be heldatthe Massapequa Funeral Home at 4980 Merrick Road between 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, followed by the same schedule Friday.
The officer’s funeral is set for Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Rose of Lima R.C. Church, also in Massapequa.
Diller will be buried at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale immediatelyafterthe service.
One of Diller’s neighbors, Nancy Ferranoia, spent Tuesday afternoon tying blue ribbons to every nearby house.
The ribbons were donated by a local florist, she told The Post.
“They’ve only lived on this block for five or six years…They’re just the nicest people,” she said of the cop and his family.“A nice loving family, a beautiful wife, a gorgeous baby.
“We are all in shock. This entire community is in shock. This is just heart-wrenching,” shesaid.
Another neighbor,James Bonilla, held back tears as he tied a blue ribbon around his door.
“My son’s in the police force,too,so I think of all cops as family,” Bonilla, 73, told The Post. “And we got the blue ribbon to show our support for police officers.
“It’s sad that the suspects were caught in other crimes with weapons,and they got let loose,and this is the result of it,” he said.
Bonilla said he has not spoken to his own 31-year-old son, who joined the police four years ago, since Diller was killed.
9
“He works nights. He’s sleeping right now. They work long hours,” he explained.
Though Bonilla said he did not know Diller or his family, he said the loss is “going to be a sad moment in the neighborhood.
“It’ll be one less person in the block party next year,”he said.
Massapequa Park Mayor DanielPearlsaid the cop’s murder “just breaks my heart. It’s a tremendous loss.”
Pearlsaidthere may be “logistical issues” with the funeral but added that the city is “going to do whatever [it] can to help the family at this time.”
9
A GoFundMe for the family was started by a retired member of the NYPD scuba teamand racked up more than $157,000by Tuesday evening.
As of Tuesday,charges against Rivera and the driver, 41-year-old Lindy Jones, were pending, withRivera, who was shot in the spine, coming out of surgery Tuesday, police sources said.
Both Rivera and Joneswere well-known in that part of Queens, sources said.
Rivera’s lengthy rap sheet included 21 prior arrests and a five-year stint in prison for possession of a controlled substance.
He had shared associates with Jones, who was also a known recidivist with a history of 14 narcotics, assault, and domestic violence-related arrests, records showed.
He was convicted of attempted murder in 2003, records show, though no further details were immediately available.
Last April, Jones was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and other related charges after he was found with a loaded .25-caliber gun.
He was released on $75,000 bailaftercourt proceedings in May.
Joneswas set to appear at a hearing in that case Monday.
“I can’t not say it any clearer: It is the good guys against the bad guys and these bad guys are violent,” Mayor Eric Adams said Monday night, calling the shooting a “senseless act of violence.”
-Additional reporting by Larry Celona
