A retired 9/11 first responder and neighbor of slain NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller charged that Gov. Kathy Hochul, as well as liberal district attorneys and judges, have “blood on their hands,” in an interview with Fox News Digital, as officials say the two men connected to Diller’s fatal shooting during a traffic stop had at least 20 prior arrests.
Guy Rivera, 34, allegedly opened fire during a traffic stop conducted by Diller and his partner in Far Rockaway, Queens, at about 5:45 p.m. Monday on a vehicle illegally parked at a bus stop. Rivera, who was in the passenger seat, allegedly fired first at police, fatally striking Diller in the torso below his protective vest. Rivera was also struck by return fire and reportedly remains hospitalized. Like Rivera, the driver of the vehicle, 41-year-old Lindy Jones, also had at least 20 prior arrests, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
As New York City mourns the 31-year-old Diller, who lived on Long Island with his wife and nearly 1-year-old son, one of his neighbors in Massapequa Park, blasted Hochul for supporting bail reform policies. Michael Blangiforti, who served in the NYPD for 20 years, including in the 105th Precinct where Diller worked, told Fox News Digital that “the inexplicable bail reform that’s in New York, combined with revolving door justice – it simply makes no sense. There’s no common sense behind the decision-making.”
“This governor is awful,” he said. In the wake of Diller’s death, Hochul released a statement that read, “I am heartbroken by the senseless killing of Officer Jonathan Diller tonight in Queens. My prayers are with his family, loved ones and the members of the NYPD. His heroism and service will never be forgotten.”
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NYPD officer Jonathan Diller was killed in the line of duty on March 25, 2024. (New York City Police Department via AP)
Blangiforti, who retired in 2008 as a detective squad commander, torched the governor’s response.
“That’s a canned statement. Do you think she actually wrote it?” he said. “Somebody in her staff wrote what you’re supposed to write. I bet if you compared them side by side every time a tragedy happened, they all be identical. Oh, my thoughts and prayers are with the family. He’s a hero and so forth and so on. Yet, you support the laws that allowed this to happen.”
“We don’t want your love and prayers and thoughts. We don’t want it,” he continued. “What we want is for you to write something that ‘these policies that I’ve supported in the past are wrong, and I see that now, Isee that they’re wrong and I need to change. I need to change. I need to do a paradigm shift because obviously something’s not working.’ OK, so Gov. Hochul, you’re fake. You’re fake. And you’re part of the problem.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul’s office for comment, but they did not immediately respond.
Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Eric Adams told reporters on Tuesday that crime in New York City centers on three issues – recidivism, severe mental illness and random acts of violence – calling on Albany lawmakers to enact legislation to take action in the wake of Diller’s death, as well as another fatal subway shoving this week.
“Jonathan is a symbol. Those of you who have children, imagine just the pain of that, of going through something that’s unnatural. Parents should never have to bury their children. There’s nothing natural about that. And watching his wife as she’s just holding on, hoping not to hear those words come back. Just a senseless act of violence,” Adams said. “We have a real recidivist problem. These two individuals, one of the men had been arrested on a gun charge in April 2023 – the driver has more than 20 priors, the other has an equal amount of priors. Recidivism is a real issue.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul has supported bail reform laws. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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“Bad guys no longer fear the police. They feel emboldened to do whatever they want,” Adams added.
In addition to Diller’s slaying, Blangiforti cited the 2015 shooting death of Officer Brian Moore, who also served in the 105th Precinct.
“It’s very upsetting and something, something has to change because these, the DAs, the judges, they have blood on their hands, and nobody seems to call them out. Nobody seems to realize that they’re the ones who are releasing these violent felons back on the street,” Blangiforti said. “It’s unconscionable that somebody with 21 prior arrests, one for gun possession, one for armed robbery to gun, the gun charge was less than a year ago. And yet he’s, you know, he’s walking the streets, is not in prison and has a gun and seems to have no problem just shooting a cop.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said recidivism is driving violent crime. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Blangiforti said that over the past several years he’s witnessed “a disdain” toward police officers and worsening perception, arguing some media outlets “cherry pick all the bad things, about law enforcement officers and completely overlook the 99% of good police officers that risked their lives every day, that all they want to do is help people in their jurisdiction.”
“It emboldens criminals like this, violent criminals to just act with reckless disregard for a police officer’s life. But 21 arrests, armed robbery, gun charges. And this guy is walking around on the street. They have blood on their hands. Everybody who votes for these bail reform laws, everybody who’s part of revolving door justice. Judges are even handcuffed by these laws,” Blangiforti said. “They’re letting these armed, dangerous people back out on the street. What’s happened to our society?”
“It’s not just the police officers,” Blangiforti said, acknowledging that Diller’s case is much more elevated because he was a member of law enforcement, but that everyday New Yorkers are subjected to violent crime.
“You have innocent victims all over the city. And that’s because of these reckless, lack of common sense by these people in positions of authority that have turned on the citizens. They’re more concerned about the rights of criminals and the rights of these people that commit crimes than they are for the regular citizens who are victims every single day.”
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Having been to many officers’ funerals during his 20-year-career, Blangiforti said he did not know Diller personally but plans to attend his funeral.
“Whether you’re active or retired law enforcement, we’re all brothers and sisters. You never stop being a cop just because you retire. You’re never less affected by a police officer’s death, whether you’re active or retired.”