May 16, 2024 • 10 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, "My husband died a hero, but he also lived as one." Stephanie Diller remembers her husband Jonathan as a connector and friend of all. Hear about his honesty and courage as a man, a father, and a police officer.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
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 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,
(02:44):
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 really
listened and he made me feel like I was the
only person in the room. Early on in our relationship,
(03:06):
Jonathan's 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 is a stud and sweet messages like I'm
(03:31):
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, and we could just understand each other with
a look. Anytime I entered a room, I looked for
(03:54):
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 connection that not many people get to
experience in their lifetime. In November of twenty nineteen, after
(04:18):
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 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,
(04:39):
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 would call us Batman and Robin, but
he said I was Batman and that he was Robin.
(05:00):
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 something that he loved to do, and
he was exceptional at it. He would go in early,
stay late, work over time, all because he just loved it.
(05:22):
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 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,
(05:47):
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 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
(06:07):
he did something new, it was like an exclusion of
joy from both of us. Johannavan wanted nothing more than
to show Ryan off to anyone and everyone he knew.
He was excited that Ryan's 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
(06:27):
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 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
(06:49):
you fall in love with someone, you think you can't
possibly love them anymore 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 with them, and guess what, you love them even more.
Jonathan taught me that true love has no limit. Our
lives were pretty much perfect until five days ago, when
(07:10):
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. It's a devastating, senseless, and tragic loss
for so many our family, our friends, and the entire
(07:30):
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 my heart that Ryan was robbed
of getting to know his to grow up with his dad.
(07:53):
Jonathan had so many things he wanted to teach him,
like how to play ice hockey, how to drive a car,
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 I am missing him, I can look to Ryan
to feel close to him, because his son is just
(08:15):
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 doors to Heaven open
for me one day, I hope to see Jonathan standing
there looking at me, just like he did on our
wedding day. My husband died a hero, but he also
(08:37):
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 stood in front of all the electric
officials presents today, pleading for change. That change never came,
(09:01):
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 of pain on anyone. Jonathan lived his
life doing good for people, and it's now time for
(09:21):
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 live without you, but I am so
amazingly grateful for every single moment we had with you.
(09:42):
Rest in peace, Jonathan, the man who captured my heart
and now all of New.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
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
(10:31):
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 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,
(02:44):
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 really
listened and he made me feel like I was the
only person in the room. Early on in our relationship,
(03:06):
Jonathan's 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 is a stud and sweet messages like I'm
(03:31):
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, and we could just understand each other with
a look. Anytime I entered a room, I looked for
(03:54):
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 connection that not many people get to
experience in their lifetime. In November of twenty nineteen, after
(04:18):
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 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,
(04:39):
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 would call us Batman and Robin, but
he said I was Batman and that he was Robin.
(05:00):
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 something that he loved to do, and
he was exceptional at it. He would go in early,
stay late, work over time, all because he just loved it.
(05:22):
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 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,
(05:47):
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 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
(06:07):
he did something new, it was like an exclusion of
joy from both of us. Johannavan wanted nothing more than
to show Ryan off to anyone and everyone he knew.
He was excited that Ryan's 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
(06:27):
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 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
(06:49):
you fall in love with someone, you think you can't
possibly love them anymore 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 with them, and guess what, you love them even more.
Jonathan taught me that true love has no limit. Our
lives were pretty much perfect until five days ago, when
(07:10):
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. It's a devastating, senseless, and tragic loss
for so many our family, our friends, and the entire
(07:30):
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 my heart that Ryan was robbed
of getting to know his to grow up with his dad.
(07:53):
Jonathan had so many things he wanted to teach him,
like how to play ice hockey, how to drive a car,
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 I am missing him, I can look to Ryan
to feel close to him, because his son is just
(08:15):
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 doors to Heaven open
for me one day, I hope to see Jonathan standing
there looking at me, just like he did on our
wedding day. My husband died a hero, but he also
(08:37):
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 stood in front of all the electric
officials presents today, pleading for change. That change never came,
(09:01):
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 of pain on anyone. Jonathan lived his
life doing good for people, and it's now time for
(09:21):
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 live without you, but I am so
amazingly grateful for every single moment we had with you.
(09:42):
Rest in peace, Jonathan, the man who captured my heart
and now all of New.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
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
(10:31):
sometimes never come home. This is our American stories.
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