Sam Amico
The widow of ABC News executive producer Dax Tejera was arrested shortly after he died unexpectedly of a heart attack outside an upscale Manhattan steakhouse, per multiple reports.
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Veronica Tejera, 33, and Dax, 37, apparently left their two daughters — ages 2-years-old and 5-months-old — alone in a nearby hotel while they dined. Veronica Tejera reportedly called a friend to help with the children when she and her late husband were taken away in an ambulance.
The girls had been left alone for two hours, police said, and were alerted they were in the room alone by hotel staff. Apparently, the staff would not allow the friend in the room, and instead called police.
Veronica Tejera was arrested and charged with acting in a manner injurious to a child. She was released from custody the following morning, while the children went away with their grandmother.
Dax Tejera collapsed and fell to the sidewalk a few moments after leaving the restaurant. He was pronounced dead several hours later.
Veronica Tejera has since issued a statement, admitting that leaving her children alone as they slept was a “poor decision.”
Dax Tejera on Instagram
“My family and I are devastated by Dax’s sudden passing. He has left behind a heartbroken family, and two daughters he loved with all his heart,” she wrote.
‘When Dax collapsed on December 23rd, I accompanied him in an ambulance to the hospital. I asked both a close friend and my parents to rush to my children’s hotel room to attend to them as I monitored them by camera. The hotel would not allow my friend in and instead called the NYPD.
‘We had two cameras trained on my children as they slept, and I monitored them closely in the time I was away from them. While the girls were unharmed, I realize that it was a poor decision.
“Our family has suffered a terrible tragedy. I respectfully ask for privacy while my children and I mourn Dax’s death.”
The children were staying at the Yale Club, a hotel and club exclusive to students and alumni from Yale University.
Details of Tejera’s sudden passing remain a mystery, as it’s not often an incredibly fit individual dies from a heart attack at the age of 37. Autopsy results are pending.
