20 Electeds Deliver Letter Urging Mayor and NYPD Commissioner to Fire Jonathan Rivera Over Deadly Force & Repeated Misconduct

New York, NY –– Today, elected officials joined the family of Allan Feliz, advocates, and community members to call on NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch to fire repeat offender Lt. Jonathan Rivera and Mayor Zohran Mamdani to ensure she does so. The rally was organized in response to a troubling plea deal offered to Rivera by the Civilian Complaint Review Board that would allow him to once again avoid meaningful discipline, despite his documented pattern of abuse, including killing unarmed father Allan Feliz in 2019. Rivera has a history of 40 misconduct allegations and 7 lawsuits, including one filed after he shot an unarmed teenager sixteen times.

“Rivera murdered my brother in 2019, but even though he was found guilty by the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Trials, he has never faced discipline,” said Samy Feliz, brother of Allan Feliz. “Instead, Rivera has continued harming New Yorkers while the NYPD, the lieutenants union, and now even the CCRB protects him. Mayor Mamdani, you stood with my family and called for Rivera to be fired while you were an Assemblymember and on the campaign trail. Now, you have the power to see it through. Direct your Police Commissioner to reject this plea deal and fire Rivera before he can harm another New Yorker.”

“After over half a decade of tireless advocacy from the Feliz family, it is time to turn the page,” said Council Member Carmen De La Rosa. “This plea deal does not meet the devastation that this family has faced and the trust lost in our communities. We must show New Yorkers that accountability and transparency matters, and the demand has been clear — Lieutenant Rivera must be fired.”

Although Rivera accepted the plea deal at the end of April, the final discipline decision to either accept or reject it rests with Commissioner Tisch, but the Feliz family and advocates have little faith in her after she overturned her own deputy commissioner’s guilty verdict against Rivera for killing Allan Feliz last year, allowing him to keep his job.

Prior to the rally, Council Member De La Rosa sent a letter from her and 19 of her city and state colleagues, urging mayor Mamdani - who previously called for Rivera to be fired and who recently asserted his control over the NYPD - to use his power to ensure Rivera is dismissed.

“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,” the letter reads. “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.”

“It is truly sickening to know that Jonathan Rivera, who is responsible for the murder of Allan Feliz, is still a Lieutenant within our police force. This is a danger to our citizens, and not the public safety I want for our children, neighbors, and friends,” said Council Member Alexa Avilés. “Jonathan Rivera must be removed from the force immediately and the unjust system that has allowed him to remain in his position must be rooted out. His story is evidence of the systemic harm plaguing the NYPD. It is beyond heartbreaking and unacceptable. My heart goes out to the Feliz family, who is still suffering from the loss of their loved one.”

“Jonathan Rivera’s case exposes how fundamentally biased and corrupt the NYPD discipline system is,” said Justice Committee Executive Director Loyda Colón (they/them). “An officer with 40 misconduct allegations, multiple substantiated complaints, multiple lawsuits, and a record of deadly violence was not only allowed to keep his job after murdering Allan Feliz — he was promoted and has continued harming New Yorkers. Rivera’s recent plea bargain reeks of a backroom deal to protect an officer who the NYPD’s own Deputy Commissioner found guilty of excessive force and assault after determining he lied on the stand. As an Assemblymember, Mamdani stood with Allan’s family and called for Rivera to be fired. Now he has both the responsibility and the power to follow through by directing Commissioner Tisch to reject this disgraceful plea deal and finally fire Rivera from the NYPD before another family is forced to suffer. Our safety depends on it.”

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Background

NYPD Lt. Jonathan Rivera has a history of 40 misconduct allegations, 5 of which have been substantiated by the CCRB. Not included in these allegations (because a CCRB complaint wasn’t filed) is the 2013 shooting of an unarmed Black 15-year-old, who Rivera fired at 16 times, including as he appeared to surrender. 

Not only does he have a lengthy misconduct record, but Rivera has a history of being shielded from discipline. 

On October 17, 2019, then-Sgt. Rivera and Officers Edward Barrett and Michelle Almanzar pulled Allan Feliz over in an unjust traffic stop and illegally detained him. Rivera tasered, beat and threatened to shoot Mr. Feliz, and then shot him point blank in the chest. After years of delays and obstruction, the CCRB substantiated fireable charges against Rivera and then prosecuted him at a discipline trial in November 2024. In February 2025, Deputy Commissioner of Trials Rosemarie Maldonado determined Lt. Rivera to be guilty of excessive force and assault in the first degree and recommended he be fired, noting that he was not credible and lied on the stand to protect himself. Despite public outcry, Commissioner Tisch unjustifiably overturned Maldonado’s guilty verdict and refused to fire Lt. Rivera in August 2025. The Feliz family and Justice Committee are currently suing Commissioner Tisch for her arbitrary and capricious decision to ignore her Deputy Commissioner’s guilty verdict and let Rivera off with no discipline.

Since killing Mr. Feliz in 2019, Jonathan Rivera was promoted to Lieutenant and received another 6 misconduct allegations, including a substantiated unlawful summons. Rivera has been named in 7 lawsuits, costing the City at least $115,000 in settlements so far.

About the Justice Committee:

Since the 1980s, the Justice Committee (JC) has been dedicated to building a movement against police violence and systemic racism in New York City. The heart of our work is organizing and uplifting the leadership of families who have lost loved ones to the police and survivors of police violence. We empower our community to deter police violence, hold law enforcement accountable, and build people-led community safety through grassroots organizing campaigns, community empowerment, political education, our CopWatch program, and by developing safety mechanisms and projects that decrease reliance on police. By building solidarity with other anti-racist, immigrant and people of color-led organizations, the Justice Committee seeks to contribute to a broad-based movement for racial, social, and economic justice.