Dax Tejera’s Wife Arrested on Child Endangerment Charges Hours After ABC News Producer Died, NYPD Says
ABC News Executive producer Dax Tejera’s wife was arrested on two charges of child endangerment in the hours following his death on Dec. 23, a spokesperson for the NYPD’s public information office told Variety.
Veronica Tejera was booked on two counts of “acting in a manner injurious to a child” after her 37-year-old husband’s fatal heart attack last week, according to a police statement.
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While a specific timeline is unclear, the NYPD spokesperson said police responded to a 911 call at 11 p.m. that evening, reporting “unattended children” at 50 Vanderbilt Avenue in Manhattan. This address is home to The Yale Club, an exclusive hotel for members. Police said a preliminary investigation “revealed that a 2-year-old female and a 5-month-old female were left alone inside of a hotel room for an extended period of time.”
Veronica Tejera and Dax were married and had two children: a 5-month-old baby girl and a 2 year-old girl. Maryland is where the Tejeras live. Variety Veronica Tejera was reached via multiple channels. The request for comment was not answered immediately by Tejera. The late Tejera was an EP on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.”
According to the NYPD statement Veronica Tejera received a desk ticket after her arrest. A desk ticket means that a person must appear in criminal court at an unspecified future date.
Dax Tejera’s death was announced internally at ABC News on Dec. 24 by division president Kim Godwin, who noted his “energy, passion and love” for his work. He was a senior producer when he joined ABC News in 2017. He went on to helm “This Week” in early 2020. Previously, he executive produced “America With Jorge Ramos.”
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