GoFundMe For Slain Detective's Family Tops $1 Million In Donations

MASSAPEQUA PARK, NY — It's been six weeks since Detective Jonathan Diller, of Massapequa Park, was killed during a traffic stopin Queens. But the community-att large has remained as charitable as ever to the family.

A GoFundMe page, created after Diller's death by a friend of the family, soared to more than $1 million in donations.

The page saw huge support, receiving $280,000 within the first 24 hours and topped $540,000 in just two days, before slowing in the weeks that would follow.

"I wasn't sure if it was ever going to hit $1 million," said Christopher Johnson, an NYPD Scuba Team member who launched the GoFundMe.

Johnson, who is a colleague of Diller's brother-in-law, Jonathan McAuley, was also still overseeing the page.

"Once it hit $750,000, I just didn't feel comfortable raising the goal anymore," Johnson told Patch. "It seems like asking a lot, every time you hit a new milestone to bump it up again."

It didn't stop at $1 million, with another $50,000, and the page remains active. But the love shown for Diller is bittersweet.

"It's just like this accomplishment that you can't celebrate," he said. "It's a nice thing, but it's like surreal."

Yet, Johnson takes inspiration from the thousands who donated.

"[I'm] in awe of these people," Johnson said.

Tunnel to Towers agreed to pay for the home for Stephanie Diller and her one-year-old son.

"Obviously, they're going to need it, because they lost the breadwinner of the house."