The widows of slain New York City police officers praised Stephanie Diller’s eulogy for her slain husband on Saturday and called out politicians for inaction on crime-fighting policies.
At the funeral of her husband, Jonathan Diller, 31, who was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Far Rockaway, Queens, Diller said more police officers “must make the ultimate sacrifice before they can begin to protect them.” “Wasn’t it?” he questioned.
“My husband was killed 26 years ago by a repeat offender,” Margaret Mosomiro said. Her husband, Anthony, 36, was shot to death in Brooklyn in 1998 while trying to collar a parolee who had failed to appear in court.
“She told politicians that nothing had changed, and she was right,” she continued. “She really stood her ground.”
Mosomiro also praised Stephanie Diller’s strength and poise as she spoke to mourners at the Long Island funeral.
“She was very calm,” Mosomiro said. “She told the world how great Jonathan was.” [than just] Policeman. She did an amazing job…I wish she could have told everyone how special Anthony is. ”
In her eulogy, Stephanie Diller mentioned New York City police officers Jason Rivera and Wilbur Mora, who were ambushed and killed by career criminals in Harlem in 2022.
“It’s been two years and two months since Detectives Rivera and Mora made the ultimate sacrifice like my husband, Jonathan Diller,” she said at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Massapequa. . “Dominic Rivera stood before every elected official present today and called for change.
“That change never came. And now my son grows up without a father and I grow old without a husband. And his parents have to say goodbye to their child. .
“How many more police officers and how many more families will have to make the ultimate sacrifice before we start protecting them?” she added.
Jonathan Diller, a three-year veteran of the department, was killed when he was approached by two men in a car parked at a bus stop, New York City police and officials said. Both men are career criminals with dozens of prior arrests.
In the ensuing scuffle, passenger Guy Rivera, 34, fatally shot the officer just below his bulletproof vest, police and officials said.
Millie Alcamo, whose 31-year-old husband, Joseph, died in a car accident while responding to an emergency call at a housing project in Queens in 1992, said Stephanie Diller “spoke from the heart.”
“She told everyone what a great person Jonathan was and how he was more than just a police officer,” Alcamo said.
“I also like that she mentioned police officers Rivera and Mora and told politicians that nothing has changed in over two years.”
What the strong-willed mother did was extremely difficult, fellow widows in the NYPD told the Post.
“I give a lot of credit to Stephanie for standing up in front of these people. It’s not an easy thing to do,” said Carol, whose husband, John, was killed when he strode into the house that fell on 9/11.・Dallara said. She builds a tower to save the survivors.
“I’m so proud of her. It was a great tribute,” Dallara told the Post. “She was devastated by everything that had happened this past week, but her inner strength was only surpassed by her love for Jonathan.”
Kathy Viggiano, who died on 9/11 when her husband Joseph and other members of the New York City Police Department’s elite emergency services unit died trying to rescue people trapped in the World Trade Center, echoed Dallara’s comments. I was in tune.
“She really described what a good guy he is,” Viggiano said of Diller.
“She painted bravely and eloquently, and everyone who heard her wipe away her tears was moved,” she told the Post. “They were robbed of the joyful life they had together in this senseless death.”
Patti Ann McDonald, whose husband Stephen, a detective, was paralyzed in the 1986 Central Park shooting and died seven years ago, said she was “very impressed” by Stephanie Diller. ” he said.
“She did a great job. I was so proud of her,” McDonald said. “I was touched by her strength and her love for Jonathan. Everyone in the church saw that love in her.”
