Wife of ex-NYPD top cop claims arrest was revenge for husband’s bitter feud with brass: lawsuit
A lawsuit alleges that Deidre O’Connor‑Donlon—widow of a former high‑ranking NYPD official—was treated as a felon after a routine traffic stop, an action some say was retaliation for her husband’s public clash with police leadership.
O’Connor‑Donlon says the stop happened just a month after former interim police commissioner Thomas Donlon nearly fought with another senior officer during last year’s NYC Marathon, according to the complaint filed in Manhattan State Supreme Court on Monday.
The 52‑page claim adds a new chapter to the ongoing dispute between the Donlons and the NYPD, following the federal corruption suit the ex‑commissioner sued in July.
“It’s our contention that the arrest never would’ve happened if they weren’t retaliating against Commissioner Donlon,” counsel John Scola told reporters.
“It was a bad arrest that should never have happened. She’s still dealing with the stress of it. Basically she was taken into custody for no reason—they pulled her handcuffs on the bench—and it’s left her traumatized.”
The lawsuit states that on December 16 2024, while driving near East 56th Street and First Avenue, O’Connor‑Donlon was in a minor fender‑bender that attracted police officers.
She describes the encounter as “calm and routine” until, per the complaint, the officer on scene received a call from a supervisor that changed everything.
In a photo from the incident, former interim commissioner Thomas Donlon is seen amid a scuffle with Chief of Staff Tarik Sheppard, who is positioned on the left.
Later this year, Donlon filed a federal corruption suit against both the city and the department.
O’Connor‑Donlon was handcuffed, brought to the 17th Precinct stationhouse, and detained for over two hours before being released—cleared of charges, the suit says.
Nevertheless, details of the arrest, including the Donlons’ home address, made it into the evening news reports.
The complaint alleges that those opposed to the former commissioner inside the NYPD leaked the information.
The feud between Donlon and departmental leaders flared at last year’s marathon when retired Chief of Staff Tarik Sheppard clashed with Donlon.
Their argument started when Sheppard, while photographing Donlon, bumped into a picture, sparking a heated exchange that nearly turned physical and required others to separate them.
Sheppard, known for his controversial conduct—including calling a Post reporter a “f–king scumbag” over a routine question—announced his retirement in April.
This summer, Donlon amplified the conflict by submitting a 251‑page federal complaint claiming the NYPD under Mayor Eric Adams was “criminal at its core.”
The complaint alleged, “Its core function was to shield loyalists and silence dissent through a systematic regime of favoritism, retaliation and concealment.”
In September, Donlon sent a criminal referral to the U.S. Department of Justice, asking for an investigation into Adams and senior city officials, asserting a probe was needed to “dismantle a criminal conspiracy inside the NYPD.”
Now O’Connor‑Donlon has entered the fray herself.
When asked for comment on the lawsuit, the city’s legal department did not immediately respond.
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