MEDIA CONTACT
Eliel Cruz
New York, NY — Following NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Trials Rosemarie Maldonado’s ruling that Lt. Rivera is guilty and her recommendation for his dismissal for the 2019 killing of Allan Feliz, the Justice Committee released the following statements from Samy Feliz, Allan Feliz’s brother, and Loyda Colon, Executive Director of the Justice Committee:
The following statement is from Samy Feliz:
“This has been so painful for my family and it’s still not over. For more than half a decade the NYPD blamed Allan for his own death and did everything in its power to protect Lt. Jonathan Rivera and the other officers that unconstitutionally stopped, beat, tased, shot, and exposed my brother's genitals on the street, from being disciplined. Finally, NYPD Deputy Commissioner Rosemarie Maldonado looked at the facts of the case and made the same recommendation that the CCRB made nearly two years ago, that Lt. Rivera be fired for Allan’s murder. Our family has been devastated and forced to fight to get this dangerous cop out of the NYPD for over 5 years, despite the fact that it will not bring Allan back to us. We’ve had enough with the delays, Mayor Adams and Police Commissioner Tisch must immediately fire Lt. Jonathan Rivera for murdering my brother.”
The following statement is from Loyda Colon on behalf of Justice Committee:
“Deputy Commissioner of Trials Rosemarie Maldonado saw through the NYPD’s lies and made the right recommendation to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to fire Lt. Rivera for the murder of Allan Feliz. It’s nauseating that the NYPD and Mayor Adams have forced families like Allan’s to suffer for more than half a decade for discipline when police kill. Firing officers who kill or engage in any misconduct shouldn’t take this long. Rivera was even promoted from Sergeant to Lieutenant while the NYPD intentionally obstructed the discipline process. The corruption, cover-ups and delays run deep.
Mayor Adams and Commissioner Tisch must immediately fire Lt. Rivera without access to his pension or a good guy letter that would allow him to keep his gun. It’s the right thing to do and the least they can do to stop the Feliz family’s suffering and make New Yorkers safer.”
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Background: On October 17, 2019, NYPD Lt. Jonathan Rivera (who was a sergeant at the time) and Officers Edward Barrett and Michelle Almanzar pulled Allan Feliz over on the corner of E 211 St and Bainbridge Ave for allegedly not wearing a seatbelt. Bodyworn camera (bwc) footage shows officers acknowledging that Mr. Feliz was wearing his seatbelt, but rather than allowing him to drive away, the officers escalated by illegally detaining him and attacking him. Lt. Rivera climbed into the passenger side of the car, tasered, beat and threatened to shoot Mr. Feliz, and then shot him point blank in the chest. After Mr. Feliz was shot, Officer Barrett yanked Mr. Feliz’s limp body from the car, exposing his genitals. None of the officers immediately covered Mr. Feliz or provided medical aid. Instead, they left Mr. Feliz to bleed out, cuffed, and exposed.
After years of delays and obstruction, in May 2023, the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) substantiated fireable charges against Lt. Rivera for the killing of Allan Feliz. The NYPD delayed the process further by failing to deliver the charges to Lt. Rivera so that a discipline trial could be scheduled for over a year. Finally, after multiple rallies and press conferences, the NYPD delivered the charges in June 2024 and a discipline trial was held in Nov. 2024. In February, Deputy Commissioner of Trials Rosemarie Maldonado determined Lt. Rivera to be guilty and is recommending he be fired. The Feliz family is calling for the Mayor and NYPD commissioner to make a swift decision post trial that accepts the CCRB recommendation to fire Lt. Rivera
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.
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