'Hero' NYPD Cop, Young Father From Long Island Killed In Queens

MASSAPEQUA PARK, NY — An NYPD officer from Massapequa Park died Monday after getting shot while on duty in Far Rockaway, the NYPD said.

Jonathan Diller, 31, was on the force for three years.

Police Commissioner Edward Caban said just before 6 p.m. Monday on Mott Street, a traffic stop turned deadly in an instant.

"After approaching the car, the suspect inside the vehicle displayed a firearm and pointed it toward the officers," Caban said. "Shots were fired, and one of our officers was struck. At this time, we believe he was shot in the torso underneath his bullet‑resistant vest."

The man, identified by the New York Post, as Guy Rivera, 34, pointed a gun at Diller and his fellow officer as they got close to the vehicle.

Mayor Eric Adams said: "It was because of a senseless act of violence that we witnessed, the person had a total disregard for the safety of this city. I cannot say it any clearer: it is the good guys against the bad guys. And these bad guys are violent. They carry guns."

Diller died at Jamaica Hospital as hundreds of officers formed a sea of blue outside the medical facility.

"Our hero police officer confronted this dangerous individual knowing that he was putting himself at risk, knowing that he had a family waiting for him at home," Patrick Henry, President of the Police Benevolent Association said.

Funeral arraignments are pending.

Diller is survived by a wife and young child, Caban said.

Tonight this city lost a hero, a wife lost her husband, and a young child lost their father.

We struggle to find the words to express the tragedy of losing one of our own. The work that Police Officer Jonathan Diller did each day to make this city a safer place will NEVER be… pic.twitter.com/q639gQGgoz
— Edward A. Caban (@NYPDPC) March" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/NYPDPC/sta... 26, 2024