ABC news producer Dax Tejera and his wife left their young daughters alone for at least two hours before suffering a fatal heart attack while the couple was having dinner in New York City, has learned.
The couple left their children, ages five months and two years old, in a hotel room at the exclusive Yale Club in Midtown Manhattan two days before Christmas while they ate dinner at a nearby restaurant.
Tejera, 37, suffered a heart attack while having dinner and was taken to Bellevue Hospital.
Veronica, 33, traveled in the ambulance with her husband while the couple’s friends went to the Yale Club to pick up the children.
But staff called police around 11 p.m. after finding the children had been left unattended for at least two hours while the Tejeras ate dinner.
Dax Tejera with his children and his wife Veronica, who was arrested on child endangerment charges just hours after his death on December 23
Veronica Tejera (right) was arrested by NYPD officers and charged with two counts after her husband died of a heart attack
Veronica was arrested by the NYPD at approximately 12:20 a.m. and charged with two counts of “acting in a manner that harms a child.” The children were unharmed with their grandmother.
Veronica was released from custody just after 4 a.m.
Her representative, who handles inquiries about the police incident, has been asked for comment.
Police previously said the children were “left alone in a hotel room for an extended period of time.”
The couple were staying at the Yale Club in Manhattan and the children were left in one of the rooms while the tejeras went out. Pictured: A general image of a room at the Yale Club
The Yale Club is open to students, alumni and professors of the renowned university and their guests
Veronica, a senior producer for The Washington Post, has insisted the couple “had two cameras trained on the kids” while they slept, but admitted leaving them alone was a “bad decision.”
Veronica Tejera said: “My family and I are devastated by Dax’s sudden death. He left behind a heartbroken family and two daughters whom he loved dearly.
“When Dax collapsed on December 23, I accompanied him to the hospital in an ambulance. I asked both a close friend and my parents to rush to my children’s hotel room to take care of them while I was monitoring them on camera. The hotel wouldn’t let my friend in and called the NYPD instead.
“We had two cameras on my children while they slept and I kept a close eye on them when I wasn’t with them. While the girls were unharmed, I realize it was a bad decision.
“Our family has suffered a terrible tragedy. I respectfully ask for privacy while my children and I mourn Dax’s death.’
Tejera and his wife Veronica, pictured together, were out in New York City for dinner while their children were left alone at the Yale Club
Tejera with ABC colleagues at a meeting with President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden
Veronica has been charged with two counts of “acting in a way that harms a child”. She was given a ticket obliging her to appear in court at a later date, police said.
Veronica mourned with her late husband’s family on Monday night.
The couple were celebrating the holidays in New York and had plans to visit friends and go to Rockefeller Center, reports say.
The NYPD said it received an 911 call about “unattended children” at 50 Vanderbilt Avenue in Manhattan, home of the Yale Club members-only hotel, at 11 p.m.
They discovered that “a two-year-old woman and a five-month-old woman were left alone in a hotel room for an extended period of time.” The PD did not identify the children, but their ages are the same as the daughters of the Tejeras.
The Yale Club is an exclusive club for Yale University alumni. It includes guest rooms ranging from budget studios to luxurious 556-square-foot suites.
The club also has luxurious rooms for weddings and private events, as well as fitness facilities and a library.
Veronica’s LinkedIn profile currently lists her as an executive producer at The Washington Post, which she joined in October 2022. Prior to that, she spent nearly six years at CNN. Her profile says her accomplishments there include producing an interview with President Joe Biden on The Lead with Jake Tapper.
She has now started a fundraiser for the Tejera children’s 529 college account. A link to the donation page set up by Fidelity Investments is included in her Instagram bio.
Veronica Tejera, who faces two counts of “harm to a child,” has asked for help to pay for her daughter’s college savings plan after her husband’s death
The page reads: “Dax Tejera died suddenly, leaving 2-year-old Sofia and 6-month-old Ella without their father. Please support the girl’s education.’