Trump expected to attend wake for slain NYPD cop Jonathan Diller
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Former President Donald Trump is due to join a sea of blue for the wake of slain NYPD cop Jonathan Diller on Long Island Thursday, officials confirmed.
“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,” Karoline Leavitt, the former commander-in-chief’s campaign spokesperson, said in a statement on Wednesday.
Diller, a 31-year-old married dad, was on patrol in Far Rockaway on Monday when he was shot and mortally wounded by a ruthless ex-con and his career criminal pal, according to police.
In an exclusive interview with The Post’s Michael Goodwin earlier this month, Trump blamed the “radical lunatic left” for ruining American cities.
“The local police are not allowed to do their jobs anymore,” Trump said from Mar-a-Lago.
He also said Democrat-run cities “are being destroyed by the migrants” — who have been behind headline-making crime sprees, including in New York City.
“If you want to be a sanctuary city, then you’re not getting any federal money,” he said.
In just three years on the job, Diller had more than 70 busts under his belt and was part of what relatives called “the real Blue Bloods family” — a reference to the hit CBS hit series about a family of Big Apple police officers.
His brother-in-law and cousin are both cops.
“Jon, there are no words to describe how devastated we are that you are gone,’’ his brother-in-law, Jonathan McAuley, wrote in a moving online tribute this week.
“You were a good man and a great father whose shoes can never be filled,’’ said McAuley. “I swear to you that I will look after your son as if he were my own.”
Diller leaves behind a wife, Stephanie, and 1-year-old son, Ryan.
Visitation with Diller’s family will be held at the Massapequa Funeral Home at 4980 Merrick Road between 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, followed by the same schedule Friday.
The officer’s funeral is set for Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Rose of Lima R.C. Church, also in Massapequa.
Diller will be buried at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale immediately after the service.
What to know about the fatal shooting of NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller:
- Diller, 31, was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop in Far Rockaway, Queens, on March 25, 2024.
- Suspect Guy Rivera allegedly opened fire on Diller on Monday evening after the cop approached the vehicle Rivera was in for parking in front of a bus stop.
- Diller was shot once in the stomach below his bulletproof vest. The married father of a 1-year-old boy was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
- Rivera was wounded when Diller’s partner returned fire. The suspect has 21 prior arrests and was found to have a shiv stored in his rectum during the shooting — in apparent anticipation of being sent to jail again.
- Lindy Jones, the ex-con behind the wheel of the car during the shooting, was also arrested after a second gun was found in his car.
- Mayor Eric Adams has renewed his calls for Albany to address criminal recidivism following the shooting involving two suspects with lengthy criminal records.
Follow The Post’s complete coverage of fallen NYPD Officer Diller’s wake
Police said Guy Rivera, who had 21 prior arrests, allegedly shot Diller in the stomach around 5:50 p.m. as the young cop approached the vehicle he was sitting in at a bus stop — and may have been planning an armed heist.
Other officers on the scene returned fire and wounded Rivera, who was a passenger in the car and arrested driver Lindy Jones, who has also done time in state prison.