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.
Early on in our relationship, Jonathan’s job required him to be away for a month at a time. He . . . made sure to send me the emails letting me know that he’s thinking of me. We must’ve exchanged over 100 emails through the years that I will forever cherish. I would excitedly wake up to emails from him with hilarious subject lines, such as Jonathan Diller is a Stud or sweet messages like . . . I’ll be home before you know it. One blink — and I’ll be in front of you giving you a kiss.
I quickly knew I found the person that I was gonna marry. I never doubted how much Jonathan loved me, because he always told me. He was absolutely my soulmate, and we could understand each other with a look. Any time I entered the room, I looked for him, and I knew that the place I belonged was next to him. He could always make me laugh, and that was one of the things I loved most about him. He would make an absolute fool of himself just to get me to crack a smile. We had a connection that not too many people get to experience in their lifetime.
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.
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
When you fall in love with someone, you think you can’t possibly love them anymore than you do right now. But then you get married and you say, okay, now there is no way I can love them anymore. And then you have a child with them, and guess what? You love them even more. Jonathan taught me that true love has no limit.
Our life was pretty much perfect, until five days ago, when everything changed forever.
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.
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 at silvershieldfoundation.org/donate or send it to: Silver Shield Foundation, 870 UN Plaza, 1st Floor, New York, NY 10017
It’s been two years and two months since Detective Rivera and Detective Mora made the ultimate sacrifice — just like my husband Jonathan Diller. Dominque Rivera stood before all the elected officials present today pleading for change.
That change never came. And now my son will grow up without his father, and I will grow old without my husband. And his parents have to say goodbye to their child.
How many more police officers and how many families need to make the ultimate sacrifice before we start protecting them?
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.
