Hundreds gather for vigil in Massapequa to honor Jonathan Diller, fallen NYPD officer from Long Island

As a steady rain fell on Massapequa Park Wednesday, nearly 1,000 people attending the candlelight vigil for NYPD Officer Jonathan E. Diller, looked to the sky and saw a rainbow just before sunset.

Neighbors and officials said it was a sign of Diller’s presence after he was killed Monday in Queens in the line of duty.

“He loved his job. He was born to be a cop, he was born to be a hero,” Diller’s brother-in-law, Joseph Lienhop, said. “He died being a hero. He died doing what he loved.”

Diller’s mother, brother and sister represented the family, as they prepared to bury him later this week after two days of visitation.

Lienhop vowed Wednesday night to take care of the officer’s family and said Diller taught him to be a better person.

“Jonathan taught me what a family truly is. No matter what the circumstance and how busy your life is, you do what you can to help your family,” Lienhop said. “Family was No. 1 in his life, his sister, his brother, his mother, his wife and his son Ryan. He taught me how to be a better person. I’ll be a better person because of Jonathan, that was who he was.”

Members of the Massapequa Park community gathered at Brady Park, and though many didn’t know Diller, they shared a bond supporting law enforcement and Diller's family.

Long Island officials were joined by NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban, who lamented that losing Diller was like losing a family member.

“It’s one of your own, the largest police department in the world and each and every one one of them are mine,” Caban said.

Members of the community showed support by holding candles, American flags and blue ribbons for the Diller family.

Jen Goldsmith, 35, of Massapequa Park, said she is a former firefighter and works with Diller's wife, Stephanie, in health care. 

"It’s a horrible thing that happened," Goldsmith said. "It helps to know everyone’s here for the family from the community. Cops are going to help everyone else and they don’t know when they're coming home."

Nicole Haray, 37, of Lindenhurst, came with her two sons to present a donation to the family on behalf of St. Martin of Tours Catholic School in Amityville.

Nassau County police Chaplain Gerard Gordon, who heads the school, described students wearing blue Wednesday and making donations he presented to the family on behalf of the school. 

"It’s devastating circumstances," Haray said. The vigil "showed tremendous support and keeping the family in everyone’s thoughts and prayers to do whatever was necessary in this tragic event."

Elected officials and Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder promised to the family that they would help them in their grief and watch over Diller's son as he grew up and learned about his father.

"To the Diller family, I assure you, we are here for you," Massapequa Park Mayor Daniel Pearl said. "All throughout the community, we pray for you. We cry with you. And collectively we grieve this terrible tragedy."

Diller, 31, originally from Franklin Square, was a three-year veteran on the force and lived in Massapequa Park for about the past three years, friends and neighbors said.

He was killed Monday night when he and his partner approached a Kia sedan parked in a bus lane just before 6 p.m. on Mott Avenue in Far Rockaway. Police said the front passenger in the car, Guy Rivera, 34, held a 9 mm pistol as Diller approached the car. Following a struggle over opening the car door, Diller was shot in the torso, below his bullet-resistant vest.

Diller’s partner fired twice as Rivera ran away, striking him once in the back. He remained hospitalized Wednesday awaiting charges. The driver of the vehicle has been charged.

Earlier, a sea of blue ribbons lined Charles Avenue outside the Diller home and along streets through the community thanks to friends and neighbors who decorated utility poles and trees.

“We rally, no matter what it is. We come together and do whatever we can for everybody who needs us,” said Dawn Boyle Kostakis, head of the Massapequa Moms group. “This is tragedy beyond words and we just want to support the Dillers right now.”

One of Diller’s neighbors, Anna Devivo, said she woke up to see a blue ribbon tied around the utility pole in front of her house. While she did not personally know Diller, she found the news heartbreaking and was attending Wednesday’s vigil in honor of him.

“This community really is amazing, from simple things like that,” Devivo said. “The whole community comes together whenever someone needs help. It's just an amazing place to live. It really is like we've all become a family when tragedy hits.”

Visitation for Diller will be held at Massapequa Funeral Home’s South Chapel at 4980 Merrick Rd. on Thursday and Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m., according to the funeral home.

Nassau police issued a traffic advisory ahead of the visitation, stating that Whitewood Drive from Merrick Road to Nassau Street will remain closed to motorists from 12 to 10 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. Residents and motorists should expect heavier than usual traffic on Merrick Road between Polo Road and Unqua Road at those times.

A service will take place Saturday at St. Rose of Lima R.C. Church, 2 Bayview Ave., Massapequa, followed by burial at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale.

With Maureen Mullarkey

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.