Click here for Greater Long Island newsletters. Click here to download the iPhone app.
An inaugural fundraiser in memory of slain NYPD Det. Jonathan Diller drew over 500 people from across the region — including hundreds of police officers and police brass— to Mulcahy’s in Wantagh Wednesday night.
In the process, $70,000 was raised to help fund tuition for families at Diller’s former high school, St. Mary’s in Manhasset.
“Jonathan always talked so fondly about his time [at St. Mary’s] and he always was involved in sports and was very active, and that’s what made him into the person he was,” said his widow, Stephanie, whose powerful eulogy at her husband’s funeral in March was broadcast across the U.S. after her husband was killed during a March 25 traffic stop in Far Rockaway.
“I want the scholarship to go to someone who is just like Jonathan and to have that experience and to continue for people to become like him,” she said. “We need more of Jonathan in the world.”
Diller, 34, of Massapequa Park, was a three-year NYPD veteran at the time of his murder. The Detective Jonathan Diller Scholarship Fund was established later this year.
Wednesday’s event attracted the likes of Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder, Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino and brass from the NYPD.
The NYPD Pipes & Drums of The Emerald Society also performed, as did the Joe Saladino Band.
Nearly 50 local businesses sponsored or donated money or raffle prizes for the fundraising effort, with Mulcahy’s offering the huge space at a discount.
The fund itself was organized and established by Larry Weinberger, President of MGD Investments in Bellmore.
“Detective Diller’s dedication to police work, and his love of being a police officer, was apparent to all who knew him,” Weinberger said. “This fund will create a never-ending legacy for Detective Diller as every year the high school Jonathan attended, St. Mary’s, will select students in need of support pursuing their education and career goals.”
Scroll down for more photos and GLI coverage from earlier this year. Click here to donate.
