NYPD widow Stephanie Diller doubles down on eulogy calling for politicians to protect all officers
It’s been four months since NYPD widow Stephanie Diller gave a heart-wrenching and forceful tribute at her slain husband Jonathan’s funeral, pleading with politicians to do more to protect police officers.
“In my eulogy I asked how many officers have to die before we start protecting them,” she told The Post this week in her first interview. “And I still stand by that and I spoke that because I felt like that’s what Jonathan would say if he was here.”
“I just spoke from my heart,” she added.
But little has changed since the young dad’s March 25 on-duty death.
Jonathan Diller had strong feelings about New York’s revolving-door criminal justice system, which has seen suspects — like the ones accused of killing him — repeatedly set free to wreak havoc, his widow said.
“These career criminals shouldn’t be out on the street and the way that laws are set up right now, while I understand the reasons some of them are in place, they embolden criminals because there are no consequences,” Stephanie Diller said.
In her tribute, Diller recalled the 2022 murders of Detective Jason Rivera and Detective Wilbert Mora, who were killed during a domestic violence call in Harlem, and Jonathan’s eerie reaction.
“Specifically, I remember Jonathan coming home to me and saying he was upset,” she told The Post. “He said, ‘I don’t want this to ever happen to you.’ He was heartbroken over it.”
Diller’s death spurred renewed calls for Albany to revise bail reform, which many in law enforcement blame for recidivist crimes.
Former President Donald Trump made headlines when he attended the police officer’s Massapequa Park wake, called for “law and order,” and blasted President Biden for not attending.
And a family member was seen at the service yelling at Gov. Hochul that she had “blood on her hands” over Diller’s death, police sources said at the time.
“He said, ‘We don’t want you here. You’re not wanted here. You have blood on your hands. If you want to do something, change the bail laws,’” the source said of the emotional exchange.
Both men charged in the Diller killing, accused gunman Guy Rivera and his alleged driver Lindy Jones, have long rap sheets.
“Jonathan was a cop’s cop,” she added. “He wanted to clean the city up. He wanted to do good things for people. He wanted to help innocent people. He was good-hearted. He was the perfect person to be a cop. … He didn’t have a bad bone in his body,” said the widow, who refused to discuss politics.
Instead she focused on the humanity of the men and women in blue.
Police officers are “husbands and mothers and fathers, sons and daughters,” she said.
“I never thought that’s the last time I’d be kissing him goodbye,” she continued. “I don’t want anyone else to be in my shoes and I know that’s how Jonathan felt.”
