(New York Post) The young widow of slain hero cop Jonathan Diller tore into elected officials for allowing crime in NYC to spiral unchecked, as an estimated 10,000 people gathered in Long Island to salute her husband at his funeral Saturday.
“How many more police officers and how many more families have to make the ultimate sacrifice before we start protecting them?” Stephanie Diller, 29, tearfully demanded during her devastating eulogy inside St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Massapequa.
Diller was fatally shot Monday during a traffic stop in Far Rockaway, Queens, by a pair of career criminal with dozens of prior arrests, authorities said.
His widow’s speech recounted warm memories of her 31-year-old husband and their life together — as their adorable son Ryan, 1, dressed in a tiny navy blue suit, innocently babbled over her shoulder.
“I am so proud that thousands of people across the country are calling Jonathan a hero,” she said. “But the truth is he’s always been a hero to Ryan and me. The rest of the world is just catching up.”
The solemn service took place on Holy Saturday, one of the most mournful dates on the Christian calendar, and featured a scripture reading centered on St. Michael, the traditional patron saint of police officers.
As the ceremony continued:
- Diller was posthumously promoted to Detective First Grade during the funeral service, with a new badge number 110, his son’s birthday. “What he loved most was being Ryan’s dad,” NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban explained.
- Father Michael Duffy, who celebrated the Dillers’ wedding in 2019, presided over the funeral service. “He did love you with every fiber of his body,” he told the grieving widow. “You guys are Jon’s everything.”
- Locals poured out to support the ranks of law enforcement mourners, offering water bottles, snacks, and bathrooms to the visitors, who came from as far away as Toronto and Miami.
- Former President Donald Trump sent a huge spray of red, white and blue flowers to the church in sympathy.
- The crowd included former mayor Rudy Giuliani, Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, and former NYPD Commissioners Keechant Sewell, Dermot Shea, and Bernard Kerik.
