Faithwire
  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • News
  • Politics
  • Coronavirus Updates
  • Faith
  • Opinion
  • Christmas
  • Set Free Course

Police Cars Stretch for Miles in Honor of Murdered NYC Cop as Wife Delivers Heartbreaking Tribute at Funeral: ‘I Love You to the End of Time’

New York Police officers gather along Fifth Avenue for the funeral of Officer Jason Rivera, Friday, Jan. 28, 2022, outside St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. Rivera and his partner, Officer Wilbert Mora, were fatally wounded when a gunman ambushed them in an apartment as they responded to a family dispute last week. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Share Tweet
By Billy Hallowell
Editor

January 28, 2022

Thousands of first responders assembled in and around St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City Friday to honor the life of a slain cop whose murder one week ago while responding to a domestic violence dispute horrified the nation.

NYPD Officer Jason Rivera, 22, responded to a domestic disturbance in Harlem last Friday. He and partner Wilbert Mora, 27, were reportedly shot by suspect Lashawn McNeil.

Mora also later died from his injuries, and McNeil passed away after being shot by a third officer.

Rivera had just married his wife Dominique Luzuriaga this past October. The grieving widow fought back tears Friday, as she spoke at her husband’s funeral, calling the ordeal “unreal” and a “nightmare.”

“Although I gained thousands of Blue Brothers and sisters, I’m the loneliest without you. I know you’re looking at me and beside me telling me I could do this, and I’m trying,” she said. “Trust me, I am. But I didn’t prepare for this.”

Luzuriaga said her husband would have been happy to see he’s remembered like a “true hero.” The grieving widow also spoke about the struggles police have faced amid increased violence.

“We are not safe anymore — not even the members of the service,” she said. “I’m sure all of our blue family is tired, too,” she continued. “But I promise — we promise — that your death won’t be in vain. I love you to the end of time.”

Watch her heartbreaking remarks at the 1:46-mark:

Join us as we pay our respects and mourn the passing of Police Officer Jason Rivera, who, at just 22-year-old, gave his life while protecting this city. #NeverForget https://t.co/ZURTAwpNwO

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) January 28, 2022

Before the funeral, Luzuriaga took to Instagram to share photos and heartbreaking messages about her late husband.

“This is probably the heaviest my heart has ever felt,” she wrote. “Mi media naranja, like my mother-in-law used to call him, left me feeling so empty.”

Luzuriaga continued, “I love you so much mi pollito in heaven. See you later.” “Pollito” is an affectionate label that means “little chicken” or “chicken.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 🤍 (@____dlxo)

Another image, posted Thursday, shows Luzuriaga holding her husband’s hand and saying goodbye to her beloved.

“Eternal love,” she wrote. “Live through me.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 🤍 (@____dlxo)

Thousands of cops from around the U.S. showed up for the funeral, with some law enforcement officers also reportedly coming from faraway countries.

Photos show a powerful scene being likened to a “sea of blue” as officers flooded the streets in honor of Rivera; lines of police vehicles approaching the cathedral reportedly stretched for miles.

Please continue to pray for the officer’s friends and loved ones who are mourning.

As Faithwire previously reported, Rivera’s partner, Wilbert Mora, who also died after the incident, saved people’s lives after his family donated his organs.

His heart, liver, kidneys, and pancreas were saved and given to five people in need: three of who live in New York and two outside the Empire State. Read more about that story here.

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

Latest

  • News

    ‘Miracle’ Landing: Florida Pilot Passes Out — Passenger with No Flight Experience Takes Over with ‘Hand of God’

  • Entertainment

    Marvel’s ‘Scarlet Witch’ Actress Reveals Her Real-Life Connections to Witchcraft, Says She’s ‘Witchy’

  • News

    ‘A Psychological Prison’: Taliban’s Latest Demand Leaves Women in Tears as Afghanistan Reels in Poverty, Desperation

  • News

    New Warner/Discovery President ‘Un-Cancels’ JK Rowling After She Was Sidelined for Defending Women Amid Transgender Craze

  • Life

    ‘A God Thing’: They Adopted a Severely Handicapped Baby Despite Doctors’ Warnings, and It Changed Everything


Navigation

  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Sign up to get our newsletter your inbox every day.

Newsletter Signup

Do you want to read
more articles like this?