Jonathan Diller shooting: NYPD sergeants’ union tells anti-police Democrats to stay away from funeral

The NYPD’s Sergeants Benevolent Association sent a damning letter calling out far-left Democratic leaders in New York City for their anti-police and soft-on-crime policies and telling them to stay away from the funeral of slain Officer Jonathan Diller.

The 31-year-old father died Monday after a violent ex-con with 21 prior arrests allegedly shot him in the stomach when police approached the car where the suspect was sitting in the passenger seat.

“I’m sure that many elected officials will attend PO Diller’s funeral, shed a few crocodile tears, and prominently seat themselves for a good photo opportunity,” SBA President Vincent Vallelong wrote in a letter to union members. “The sad reality is we don’t want them there.”

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Former President Trump, on the other hand, is expected to attend Diller’s wake Thursday afternoon, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

Separately, his campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said, “President Trump is moved by the invitation to join NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller’s family and colleagues as they deal with his senseless and tragic death.”

They are as morally responsible for PO Diller’s death as the career criminal who pulled the trigger. 

— Vincent Vallelong, SBA president

Vallelong said he found it infuriating to see city politicians who have supported movements to “defund” police and let criminals out of jail posting politically motivated condolences on social media.

“Their presence is more than a distraction,” Vallelong continued. “It is a stain on the legacy of a true hero who made the ultimate sacrifice, as well as the scores of dedicated and committed public servants who will carry on his mission despite their constant criticism, cynicism, negativity, and frivolous accusations.”

In an interview with the New York Post, the union leader took it a step further and called out City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams by name.

“They detest cops and have no appreciation for what they do,” he told the paper. “They should stay home and not pretend they are grieving.”

VIDEO: A guard of honor for NYPD officer Jonathan Diller

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When Williams wrote on X about Diller’s death earlier this week, many of the replies contained harsh criticism.

“I like how this post doesn’t address the need to get criminals off our streets,” one user replied.

Williams, a former City Council member who was elected the city’s public advocate in 2019, has previously described himself as a democratic socialist and in 2020 argued that $1 billion in NYPD budget cuts wouldn’t go far enough to “defund” the police. 

Adams in January helped override a veto from Mayor Eric Adams, no relation, for a bill that requires police officers to perform increased paperwork after encounters with the public.

“Despite their admonitions to the contrary, the ‘leadership’ in the Council has failed city residents, workers, and visitors at every turn,” Vallelong wrote. “They are blinded by their own hatred and twisted ideology.”

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Without naming names, Vallelong’s letter also accused “many prosecutors” of being also to blame for “this utter destruction of civilized society in New York.”

“They would rather see the city burn and countless lives lost rather than correct their legislative mistakes and at least give the city a chance at survival or a resurgence,” he wrote.

Guy Rivera, a 34-year-old man with 21 prior arrests, nine of them for felonies, allegedly shot and killed Diller during a stop in Far Rockaway on Monday evening. 

Other officers returned fire and Rivera was still in police custody at the hospital Thursday morning, according to Queens prosecutors.

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A friend in the same vehicle, Lindy Jones, 41, was convicted of attempted murder in 2002, served time in prison and was somehow out on the streets despite a pending felony firearms case from last year, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office.

He racked up more weapons charges when police allegedly found a handgun with the serial number filed off in his glove box.

“The Council members who are vehemently and inexplicably against public safety are responsible for the carnage in the streets and the heartbreak brought about by PO Diller’s completely avoidable death,” Vallelong wrote.

“Those in the Council who have declared war on the police should be the ones put under a microscope and investigated by an outside agency for every legislative mistake and misstep they make.”

It comes weeks after the state’s Democrat Attorney General Letitia James faced jeers and boos when she appeared at a promotion ceremony for members of the FDNY.

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The interruption came shortly after James successfully sued former President Trump in an effort to crack down on his New York businesses. Firefighters chanted, “Trump! Trump! Trump!”

Diller will be laid to rest Saturday in Massapequa, New York. His wake services begin this afternoon.