The New York City Football Club honored slain NYPD Detective Jonathan Diller with an emotional moment of silence ahead of its game Saturday on Citi Field turf.
Diller’s mother, sister and cousin — and 11 members of his command — joined the Pigeons for a pre-game ceremony that invigorated the team to dominate DC United in a 2-0 victory.
“It was a very somber moment for everyone who was in the stadium. These are times and moments that we don’t take lightly. And we were honored that they accepted our invitation to be there,” Chief Executive Officer Jennifer O’Sullivan told The Post.
“It’s one of those moments where you recognize that the legacy that these men and women of the NYPD leave behind are so much more. And so for us, it was just as much about acknowledging his service and his sacrifice but also the legacy that he leaves behind his son and his family, who were there to carry on his name.”
The touching tribute comes nearly one month since Diller was fatally shot and killed during a traffic stop in the Far Rockaway section of Queens.
O’Sullivan — whose own husband is a retired NYPD detective — said it was her honor to hand the grieving family members two NYCFC jerseys during the ceremony.
While doing so, she slipped a joke to Diller’s mother about turning Little Ryan into a die-hard NYCFC fan, even though the one-year-old’s late father was famously a New York Islanders fanatic.
“There was a little bit of levity at that moment, but she was obviously very, very touched,” said O’Sullivan.
Mayor Eric Adams also paid tribute to the fallen soldier in a speech during the ceremony after spending a few moments alone with the family and Diller’s surviving comrades.
Hizzoner had been at the game to celebrate the City Council’s approval for the team to build its 7-story soccer stadium in Willets Point, just across the road from Citi Field.
“Detective Diller was a Queens officer. For us, it was as much about bringing this community together. And while it was a celebration for us, it’s also an understanding that this is going to be our home permanently in a few years and the recognition of the work that our first responders do, and in particular the NYPD,” said O’Sullivan.
“It was just an important time while we were all gathering to be able to celebrate that community and the importance and significance that they play in our community.”
The ceremony was the third time in three weeks that Diller and his family were honored at Citi Field.
The Mets held a moment of silence for the fallen officer during a home game last week, following the emotional moment of silence the Amazins held for Diller the team’s home opener last month.
He has also been repeatedly honored by his favorite hockey team, including in a record-breaking 50/50 raffle that sent his surviving family home with a $76,000 jackpot.
Diller was on patrol last month when he was allegedly shot in the stomach by career criminal Guy Rivera, 34, after he and his partner approved Rivera’s vehicle, which was parked in front of a bus stop.
Rivera is also a seasoned criminal with 21 busts under his belt and spent five years in state prison on a drug conviction before he was released in 2021 and completed his parole in 2022.
Rivera – who has been indicted on charges of murder in the first and second degrees, attempted murder in the first and second degrees, four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, and criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree for the homicide – could spend the rest of his life behind bars if convicted, prosecutors said.
Lindy Jones, the 41-year-old ex-con who was in the driver’s seat during the killing, faces multiple charges of criminal possession of a weapon and faces 15 years behind bars.
