May 13, 2026 • 10 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, after Jonathan Diller was killed in the line of duty in Queens, his wife Stephanie stood before mourners with their young son and shared the story of the man she loved. In this moving eulogy, she remembers Jonathan not only as an NYPD officer, but as a devoted husband, father, and protector.
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Speaker 1 (00:11):
And we continue with our American stories. It's National Police
Week all week long across the country, people across this
country honoring those who paid the ultimate price as cops, sheriffs,
or law enforcement of any kind. Up next, a story
about one of those officers. On March twenty fifth, twenty
twenty four, Jonathan Diller and his partner were investigating an
(00:34):
illegally parked suv in the Far Rockaway section of Queens
when a thirty four year old with a long rap
sheet pulled out a gun and opened fire at the officers.
Diller was hit just below his bulletproof vest. He was
rushed to Jamaica Hospital, but his wounds were too severe.
He was the first NYBD cup to lose his life
(00:55):
in two years. There were several speakers at his funeral,
none more moving than his his wife, Stephanie, who stood
at the podium alongside her one year old son Ryan
at the Saint Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Massapequa Park.
She didn't talk about how he died, but how her
husband lived and who he was.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
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 Stephen Diller, and brother to
Jennifer and Jason. He was the youngest of three, which
obviously means he was the mischievous one, but he also
(01:39):
had the sweetest heart and the guilty asconscious, so he
would always smooth things over by making his mom handwritten
apology letters. He grew up taking memorable ski trips with
his family, playing lacrosse and hockey, and forming friendships that
would last a lifetime. He was a connector, the kind
of guy that would draw people in and could find
(02:00):
something in common with everyone, a friend to everyone. Following
graduating from Saint Mary's High School, he attended Sonny Maritime,
where he lives with his cousin Robert. He loved telling
stories of traveling all over the world in the ship,
seeing beautiful places, and making amazing memories. After graduation, Johnathan
(02:23):
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,
(02:43):
if you ever asked him the story, I'm 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 listened
and he made me feel like I was the only
person in the room. Early on in our relationship, Jonathan's
(03:07):
job required him to be away for a month at
a time. He was really proud of his work driving ships,
and he made sure to send emails letting me know
that he was always thinking of me. We must have
exchanged over all hundred emails through the years that I
will forever cherish. I would excitedly wake up to emails
from him with hilarious subjects, lines such as Jonathan Diller
(03:27):
is a stud and sweet messages like I'm gonna spoil
the heck out of you when I get home, and
I'll be home before you know it. You're gonna blink
and I'll be in front of you giving you a
big kiss. I quickly knew I found the person I
was gonna marry. I never doubted how much Jonathan loved me,
because he always told me he was absolutely my soulmate,
(03:49):
and we could just understand each other with a look.
Anytime I entered a room, I looked for him and
knew that at the police I belonged was the spot
next to him. He could always meet me laugh and
that was one of the things I love most about him.
He would make an absolute fool of himself just to
me get me to crack a smile. We had a
(04:10):
connection that not many people get to experience in their lifetime.
In November of twenty nineteen, after our wedding, I remember
being so nervous to walk 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 open, I saw him look at me. I realized
(04:31):
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 we got the
cutest dog in the world, Tucker. We did everything together,
and I really mean that we were best friends. He
(04:53):
would call us Batman and Robin, but he said I
was Batman and that he was Robin. When I would
meet people, I would say, if you like me, just
wait until you meet my husband. He worked for his
family's company before deciding to become a police officer in
twenty twenty one. Everyone was so proud that he found
(05:13):
something that 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 the
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
(05:36):
protector of everyone around him. He spoke his mind and
wasn't afraid. I always admired him for his honesty and courage.
He was my absolute greatest confidant. But nothing compared to
his best role of all, 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
(05:58):
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 an exclusion of joy from both of us.
Johanathan wanted nothing more than to show Ryan off to
anyone and everyone he knew. He was excited that Ryan's
(06:19):
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 to me.
I couldn't have asked for a better partner to have
a child with than Jonathan. We were a team. He
would always kiss and hug me in front of Ryan
and say that he wanted Ryan to see his dad
(06:41):
loves his mommy so much, and then we would pick
him up between the two of us and smush his
cheeks with kisses together. When you fall in love with someone,
you think you can't possibly love them any more than
you do right now. But then you get married and
you think, okay, now there's 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
(07:04):
me that true love has no limit. Our lives were
pretty much perfect until five days ago, when everything changed. Forever.
He was called into 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
sugarcoat anything, so I won't sugarcoat this. This is devastating.
(07:25):
It's a 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
to the world was given such a negative ending. There
was so much he was looking forward to, like watching
his siblings build a life with their spouses, seeing his
friends become fathers, and watching his son grow. It breaks
(07:47):
my heart that Ryan was robbed of getting to know
his 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 or ride
a bike, to watch Ryan go to his first day
of school and watch him graduate on his last. I
am eternally grateful that Jonathan made me Ryan's mother. If
(08:09):
I am missing him, I can look to Ryan to
feel close to him, because his son is just like him,
always making people smile, and I promise to raise him
to eat bee even more like his dad. It's hard
to imagine how long I have to wait to see
Jonathan again. When the door is to Heaven open for me.
One day, I hope to see Jonathan standing there looking
(08:31):
at me, just like he did on our wedding day.
My husband died a hero, but he also lived as 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. It's been two years and
two months since Detective Rivera and Detective Maura made the
ultimate sacrifice, just like my husband. Jonathan Diller Dominique Rivera
(08:55):
stood in front of all the electric officials presents today,
pleading for change that changed never came. And now my
son will grow up without his father. 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 more families need to make the ultimate sacrifice
before we start protecting them. I don't wish this kind
(09:16):
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 officers he represents, which reminds me
to all his friends in the one oh five CRT
and the Boys. He wanted me to say, I love you,
Jonathan Ryan, and I don't know how we're going to
(09:37):
live without you, but I am 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.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
York's heartbreaking words by Stephanie Diller, and yet the pride
(10:10):
in her husband and how he lived. Stephanie Diller's words
were a stark reminder that the men and women serving
to protect us across this country, the seven hundred thousand cops, sheriffs,
and federal agents, are overwhelmingly good people. Good people who
go to work each day to protect and serve and
(10:30):
sometimes never come home. This is our American stories.
And we continue with our American stories. It's National Police
Week all week long across the country, people across this
country honoring those who paid the ultimate price as cops, sheriffs,
or law enforcement of any kind. Up next, a story
about one of those officers. On March twenty fifth, twenty
twenty four, Jonathan Diller and his partner were investigating an
(00:34):
illegally parked suv in the Far Rockaway section of Queens
when a thirty four year old with a long rap
sheet pulled out a gun and opened fire at the officers.
Diller was hit just below his bulletproof vest. He was
rushed to Jamaica Hospital, but his wounds were too severe.
He was the first NYBD cup to lose his life
(00:55):
in two years. There were several speakers at his funeral,
none more moving than his his wife, Stephanie, who stood
at the podium alongside her one year old son Ryan
at the Saint Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Massapequa Park.
She didn't talk about how he died, but how her
husband lived and who he was.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
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 Stephen Diller, and brother to
Jennifer and Jason. He was the youngest of three, which
obviously means he was the mischievous one, but he also
(01:39):
had the sweetest heart and the guilty asconscious, so he
would always smooth things over by making his mom handwritten
apology letters. He grew up taking memorable ski trips with
his family, playing lacrosse and hockey, and forming friendships that
would last a lifetime. He was a connector, the kind
of guy that would draw people in and could find
(02:00):
something in common with everyone, a friend to everyone. Following
graduating from Saint Mary's High School, he attended Sonny Maritime,
where he lives with his cousin Robert. He loved telling
stories of traveling all over the world in the ship,
seeing beautiful places, and making amazing memories. After graduation, Johnathan
(02:23):
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,
(02:43):
if you ever asked him the story, I'm 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 listened
and he made me feel like I was the only
person in the room. Early on in our relationship, Jonathan's
(03:07):
job required him to be away for a month at
a time. He was really proud of his work driving ships,
and he made sure to send emails letting me know
that he was always thinking of me. We must have
exchanged over all hundred emails through the years that I
will forever cherish. I would excitedly wake up to emails
from him with hilarious subjects, lines such as Jonathan Diller
(03:27):
is a stud and sweet messages like I'm gonna spoil
the heck out of you when I get home, and
I'll be home before you know it. You're gonna blink
and I'll be in front of you giving you a
big kiss. I quickly knew I found the person I
was gonna marry. I never doubted how much Jonathan loved me,
because he always told me he was absolutely my soulmate,
(03:49):
and we could just understand each other with a look.
Anytime I entered a room, I looked for him and
knew that at the police I belonged was the spot
next to him. He could always meet me laugh and
that was one of the things I love most about him.
He would make an absolute fool of himself just to
me get me to crack a smile. We had a
(04:10):
connection that not many people get to experience in their lifetime.
In November of twenty nineteen, after our wedding, I remember
being so nervous to walk 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 open, I saw him look at me. I realized
(04:31):
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 we got the
cutest dog in the world, Tucker. We did everything together,
and I really mean that we were best friends. He
(04:53):
would call us Batman and Robin, but he said I
was Batman and that he was Robin. When I would
meet people, I would say, if you like me, just
wait until you meet my husband. He worked for his
family's company before deciding to become a police officer in
twenty twenty one. Everyone was so proud that he found
(05:13):
something that 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 the
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
(05:36):
protector of everyone around him. He spoke his mind and
wasn't afraid. I always admired him for his honesty and courage.
He was my absolute greatest confidant. But nothing compared to
his best role of all, 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
(05:58):
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 an exclusion of joy from both of us.
Johanathan wanted nothing more than to show Ryan off to
anyone and everyone he knew. He was excited that Ryan's
(06:19):
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 to me.
I couldn't have asked for a better partner to have
a child with than Jonathan. We were a team. He
would always kiss and hug me in front of Ryan
and say that he wanted Ryan to see his dad
(06:41):
loves his mommy so much, and then we would pick
him up between the two of us and smush his
cheeks with kisses together. When you fall in love with someone,
you think you can't possibly love them any more than
you do right now. But then you get married and
you think, okay, now there's 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
(07:04):
me that true love has no limit. Our lives were
pretty much perfect until five days ago, when everything changed. Forever.
He was called into 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
sugarcoat anything, so I won't sugarcoat this. This is devastating.
(07:25):
It's a 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
to the world was given such a negative ending. There
was so much he was looking forward to, like watching
his siblings build a life with their spouses, seeing his
friends become fathers, and watching his son grow. It breaks
(07:47):
my heart that Ryan was robbed of getting to know
his 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 or ride
a bike, to watch Ryan go to his first day
of school and watch him graduate on his last. I
am eternally grateful that Jonathan made me Ryan's mother. If
(08:09):
I am missing him, I can look to Ryan to
feel close to him, because his son is just like him,
always making people smile, and I promise to raise him
to eat bee even more like his dad. It's hard
to imagine how long I have to wait to see
Jonathan again. When the door is to Heaven open for me.
One day, I hope to see Jonathan standing there looking
(08:31):
at me, just like he did on our wedding day.
My husband died a hero, but he also lived as 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. It's been two years and
two months since Detective Rivera and Detective Maura made the
ultimate sacrifice, just like my husband. Jonathan Diller Dominique Rivera
(08:55):
stood in front of all the electric officials presents today,
pleading for change that changed never came. And now my
son will grow up without his father. 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 more families need to make the ultimate sacrifice
before we start protecting them. I don't wish this kind
(09:16):
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 officers he represents, which reminds me
to all his friends in the one oh five CRT
and the Boys. He wanted me to say, I love you,
Jonathan Ryan, and I don't know how we're going to
(09:37):
live without you, but I am 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.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
York's heartbreaking words by Stephanie Diller, and yet the pride
(10:10):
in her husband and how he lived. Stephanie Diller's words
were a stark reminder that the men and women serving
to protect us across this country, the seven hundred thousand cops, sheriffs,
and federal agents, are overwhelmingly good people. Good people who
go to work each day to protect and serve and
(10:30):
sometimes never come home. This is our American stories.
Host
Lee Habeeb
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