Throngs of somber New York City police officers in their dress blues lined the sidewalk outside St Patrick's Cathedral on Thursday, awaiting the arrival of a hearse carrying the body of their murdered colleague Jason Rivera ahead of his wake.
Uniformed officers accompanied Rivera's casket as it slowly made the journey from Riverdale Funeral Home in Inwood to the imposing Gothic Revival church, arriving shortly before noon on a frigid New York day.
The hearse was met outside the cathedral by masked pall bearers, who gently removed the officer's casket, draped in NYPD's blue, green and white flag, and carried it on their shoulders into the cathedral to the heart-rending sounds of Amazing Grace performed by a lone bagpiper.
A moment of silence was observed as the coffin disappeared inside the soaring marble cathedral, where it was then laid at the foot of the altar, surrounded by elaborate floral arrangements, including one shaped like a giant silver-and-blue police shield bearing Rivera's badge number.
The viewing will take place from 1pm to 8pm, allowing family members, dignitaries and thousands of mourners to pay their final respects to the 22-year-old rookie cop who was killed in the line of duty by a career criminal along with his partner, 27-year-old Wilbert Mora, while responding to a domestic violence call in Harlem last week.
New York Mayor Eric Adams is expected to arrive at the cathedral on Fifth Avenue at around 4pm to bid farewell to Rivera.
Rivera's funeral Mass will take place at St Patrick's Cathedral on Friday, with Cardinal Timothy Dolan presiding.
A casket carrying the body of NYPD Officer Jason Rivera body is moved from the Riverdale Funeral Home to St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan for his wake on Thursday
Throngs of officers braved the cold in their dress blues outside the cathedral as they waited for the arrival of Rivera's body ahead of his wake
The black hearse is seen pulling up to the church, with somber officers looking on across the street from St Patrick's Cathedral
Jason Rivera, 22 (left), and his partner were shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance in Harlem on Friday. The officer is pictured right with his wide, Dominique, on their wedding day last October
A half-dozen pall bearers carefully removed their fallen brother's casket from the back of the vehicle under the watchful gaze of their colleagues
Amazing Grace performed on bagpipes accompanied the pall bearers as they carried the casket on their shoulders into the iconic Roman Catholic church
Officers saluted as Rivera's casket was slowly taken up the stairs by pall bearers and brought inside the church
A large contingent of NYPD officers stood outside the cathedral, waiting for the wake to begin at 1pm
Rivera's funeral Mass will take place at St Patrick's Cathedral on Friday, with Cardinal Timothy Dolan presiding
An elaborate floral arrangement shaped like a police shield bearing Officer Rivera's number stands inside St Patrick's Cathedral - an offering from the Police Benevolent Association
Thousands of people were expected to pass through the cathedral throughout the day on Thursday to pay their respects to the slain officer
A collage of photographs showing Rivera through the years, from the time he was a baby, sits on an easel inside the church on the day of his wake Thursday
A group of NYPD officers stand inside the church ahead of Rivera's wake at St Patrick's Cathedral on Thursday morning
An enlarged photo of Officer Rivera stands next to funeral arrangements inside the cathedral before the start of the wake on Thursday
A somber officer stands outside a hearse that is to convey the remains of NYPD rookie Jason Rivera, 22, from a funeral home to his wake at St Patrick's Cathedral on Thursday
Officer Rivera's flag-draped casket is loaded into the back of the hearse outside Riverdale Funeral Home in Inwood, Manhattan, on Thursday morning
An honor guard takes part in a procession conveying the hearse en route to St Patrick Cathedral on Thursday
The hearse carrying Rivera's body is seen traveling from Riverdale funeral home to St Patrick's Cathedral on Thursday morning
The hearse is escorted by multiple vehicles en route to the wake on Thursday morning in Manhattan
Rivera's partner, Wilbert Mora, 27, died of his injuries on Tuesday. His wake and funeral will take place at St Patrick's Cathedral next week
Rivera had been an NYPD police officer for less than a year. He leaves behind his newlywed wife, Dominique,
Mora was in his fourth year on the job. His wake and funeral Mass were planned for next week, also at the iconic Roman Catholic cathedral.
Rivera and Mora became the first officers to be fatally shot in the city since July 2017.
President Joe Biden will visit New York City next week to discuss combating gun crime with Mayor Adams.
There have been 73 shooting incidents so far this year in the city - an increase of 23.7 per cent compared to last year. A total of 82 people have been shot as of January 23, up from 67 in the first three weeks of 2021.
Biden spoke with Adams by telephone on Monday night to offer his condolences over the deaths of officers Rivera and Mora, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said this week.
At an emotional candlelight vigil Wednesday night outside the 32nd Precinct where Rivera and Mora worked, hundreds of their fellow officers and scores of people from the community filled the street.
Lashawn McNeil, 47, who was shot by a third officer, died on Monday
Stephanie McGraw, founder of anti-domestic violence group We All Really Matter, said she got to know Mora during frequent visits to the precinct.
'He was from from the hood,' McGraw said. 'He understood the importance of getting into this very crucial and important role as a police officer — to not only make a difference but to bring some more men and women of color into the NYPD.'
NYPD Officer Sterling Medina, who spoke at the vigil, was overcome with emotion as he shared his memories of his close friend Mora, whose smile, he said, 'lit up a room.'
'To know that we’re not gonna get that again, it hurts,' Medina added.
Photos from the vigil showed uniformed officers and civilians bundled up against the cold holding flickering candles in their hands and praying beside a growing makeshift memorial.
Rivera and Mora were responding to a call about a domestic dispute in Harlem last Friday when police say LaShawn McNeil, 47, burst into a room at his mother's apartment and opened fire, mortally wounding both cops.
A candlelight vigil was held around makeshift memorial outside the 32nd precinct honoring fallen NYPD officers Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora in Harlem on Wednesday
Hundreds of people, including police officers, clergy and members of the community, gathered to pay tribute to the slain officers
NYPD Officer Sterling Medina, center, struggled to contain his emotions while speaking about his close friend Mora at the vigil Wednesday
A third officer stepped in and fatally shot McNeil.
Rivera died at the scene of the shooting, while his alleged killer succumbed to his injuries on Monday.
Despite the efforts of doctors at NYU Langone Medical Center, Mora, who was shot in the head, could not be saved and was taken off life support on Tuesday.
Friends this week have been remembering the officers as caring and dedicated. Mora was a gentle giant, with a strong physique and a warm heart. Rivera was a doting newlywed who would FaceTime his wife from his locker.
Marisa Caraballo, a former neighbor of the Rivera family, said the officer’s mother objected when he told her he wanted to join the police.
'She said it was a dangerous situation,' recalled Caraballo. But the son insisted, and his mom relented. 'She said, "OK. I support you.”'
Rivera grew up in Inwood, a neighborhood on the northern tip of Manhattan where many residents hail from the Dominican Republic.
'Officer Rivera and Officer Mora made a decision that they wanted to be part of the solution,' said the Rev. Ronald Sullivan of the Christian Parish for Spiritual Renewal. 'We’re not believing the narrative that the community and the police are on different teams.'
In an essay describing why he became a police officer, Rivera recalled the injustice of being pulled over in a taxi and seeing officers frisk his brother.
'My perspective on police and the way they police really bothered me,” Rivera wrote. But he said he got interested in becoming a cop himself because he saw the department 'pushing hard' to improve community relations.
Officer Keith Hall, who worked with the slain officers, recalled how Mora’s imposing frame — tall and stocky like a football player — belied his approachable nature.
Before joining the department, Mora studied at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where he impressed professor Irina Zakirova with sharp questions and a keen interest in striving for ways to build bridges between police and the neighborhoods they serve.
'He was so certain about becoming a police officer — a good police officer,' Zakirova said.
After it became clear that Mora wouldn’t survive the shooting, his family had his organs donated — in accordance with his wishes. Mora helped save five people with his heart, liver, kidneys and pancreas.
Rivera’s wife, Dominique Rivera, posted on Instagram that she and her husband were friends since childhood. She shared a message he wrote her in their school days saying he loved her and wanted to marry her. After their wedding last October, Dominique wrote that Rivera was her 'soulmate, best friend and lover from now until the end of time.'
'But now your soul will spend the rest of my days with me, through me, right beside me,' Dominique wrote over a picture of her husband’s police station locker. 'I love you till the end of time.'
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