20 City & State Elected Officials Call for the Immediate Firing of Lt. Jonathan Rivera in Letter to Mayor Mamdani & Commissioner Tisch

JC Team
May 11
3 min read

May 11, 2026

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch

New York Police Department

1 Police Plaza

New York, NY 10038

Mayor Zohran Mamdani

City Hall

New York, NY 10007

cc: Jonathan Darche, Executive Director, Civilian Complaint Review Board

Re: Call for the Immediate Firing of Lt. Jonathan Rivera

Dear Commissioner Tisch and Mayor Mamdani,

We, the 20 undersigned New York City, State and Congressional elected leaders, write to call for the immediate termination of Lt. Jonathan Rivera from the NYPD. Lt. Rivera has a documented pattern of abuse: he shot an unarmed 15-year-old in 2013, brutally killed Allan Feliz in 2019, and has continuously accumulated 40 misconduct allegations and at least 7 lawsuits. His appalling history of abuse, as substantiated by NYPD Deputy Commissioner Rosemarie Maldonado’s guilty verdict in the killing of Allan Feliz and a more recent substantiated charge for issuing an unlawful summons, makes him clearly unfit to serve.

Until recently, the Civilian Complaint Review Board was on track to prosecute Lt. Rivera and seek termination. The CCRB’s sudden offering of a plea deal enables a notoriously violent officer to continue patrolling our streets. We urge you to reject this plea deal as contrary to the safety of New Yorkers, and to instead fire Lt. Rivera without access to his pension or a “good-guy” letter that would allow him to keep his gun.

Commissioner Tisch, your decision last year to overturn the guilty verdict against Lt. Rivera for killing unarmed Allan Feliz eroded New Yorkers’ faith in the NYPD and its discipline system. We urge you not to repeat the same error. We call on you to reject the CCRB’s plea deal and fire Lt. Rivera from the NYPD immediately, without pension benefits or a “good guy” letter that would allow him to retain his firearm.

Mayor Mamdani, your backing has been invaluable; you signed two letters* and rallied with the Feliz family outside One Police Plaza, advocating for Lt. Rivera’s dismissal from the department. We once again seek your support on this vital issue you previously championed. We ask that you employ your power as Mayor to direct NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch to deny the plea deal and promptly dismiss Lt. Rivera. This is for the family of Allan Feliz, the everyday New Yorker who desires transparency and accountability from our police, and everyone harmed by Lieutenant Rivera’s actions while in the line of duty.

Accountability is not about punishment for its own sake; it is about restoring public trust. Every instance where misconduct goes unchecked wears away the relationship between the NYPD and the communities it is sworn to protect, endangering our public safety goals as a city. As City leaders, you have the opportunity to affirm your commitment to police accountability and genuine public safety. We urge you to do the right thing: reject the CCRB’s plea deal and fire Lt. Rivera from the NYPD immediately, without pension benefits or a “good-guy” letter that would allow him to retain his firearm.

Sincerely,

NYC Council Member Carmen De La Rosa

NY State Senator Jessica Ramos

NY State Senator Julia Salazar

NY State Assembly Member Emily Gallagher

NYC Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams

Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso

NYC Council Member Alexa Avilés

NYC Council Member Chi Ossé

NYC Council Member Chris Banks

NYC Council Member Christopher Marte

NYC Council Member Crystal Hudson