Name of NYPD Det. Jonathan Diller, of Massapequa Park, added to police memorial wall for fallen members

NYPD Det. Jonathan Diller of Massapequa Park was among 51 NYPD officers and employees whose lives were honored Thursday during the department’s annual Memorial Day Ceremony at police headquarters in lower Manhattan.

Diller, 31, died in March 2024 after he was shot in a car stop encounter on a Queens street, allegedly by Guy Rivera, who faces first-degree murder and other charges. The vast majority of the other NYPD personnel whose passings were commemorated died from illnesses attributed to their work related to  the Sept. 11 terror attacks’ Ground Zero in lower Manhattan or the Staten Island landfills, officials noted.

The short but poignant ceremony takes place every year around May 1 and gives the opportunity for family, friends and department officials to gather in the Memorial Lobby, also known as the Hall of Heroes. The walls of the lobby are lined with over 1,200 bronze plaques containing the names of officers who have died in the line of duty. The earliest name listed was from 1849,

Diller's widow, Stephanie, and other family members attended the solemn event.

"It is a terrible loss," Detective Endowment president Scott Munro said about Diller's death. " A young police officer out there working. This should never, never, never happen again."

Over three dozen police fraternal organizations provided large, fragrant floral displays for the lobby which NYPD chief chaplain Rabbi Alvin Kass called a "memorial cathedral." 

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the stories of each person who passed away were unique.

"But each was defined by quiet courage and a deep sense of duty," Tisch said. "Their names are being added to our hall of heroes, but their absence has already been felt."

"The names displayed here represent the very best of us," continued Tisch. "They believed that protecting others was the purpose worth dedicating their lives to, and for too many worth giving their life for."

Among those commemorated Thursday were two chiefs, three lieutenants, five sergeants, 14 detectives including Diller and 17 police officers, as well as one electrician, Joseph H. Abate who was residing in South Carolina when he died last year. The two with the rank of chief were Michael Ansero, of Staten Island, and Gerald Nelson of Brooklyn.

In years past, the names added often stemmed from combat shootings, auto and horse accidents and other on duty mishaps. But, since Sept. 11, 2001, the list of names has grown to the point where extra wall space has to be set aside in the lobby to encompass all who passed away. Some, like Diller, were killed by gunfire but illnesses attributed to the terror attacks have been taking on average 30 people a year.

"It is a shame," said Munro, reflecting on the somber roll call that keeps growing because of Sept. 11 illnesses. "We are always going to be here for the families."

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.