ABC News producer Dax Tejera and his wife left their young daughters alone for at least two hours before he suffered a fatal heart attack as the couple enjoyed dinner in New York City, DailyMail.com has learned.
The couple left their children, aged five months and two years old, in a hotel room at the exclusive Yale Club, in Midtown Manhattan, two days before Christmas, while they dined at a nearby restaurant.
Tejera, 37, suffered a heart attack while at 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 collect the children.
But staff called police at around 11pm, after they discovered the children had been left unattended for at least two hours while the Tejeras enjoyed dinner.
Dax Tejera with his children and 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 of 'acting in a manner injurious to a child' after her husband died of a heart attack
Veronica was arrested by the NYPD at around 12.20am and charged with two counts of 'acting in a manner injurious to a child'. The children, who were unharmed, were left with their grandmother.
Veronica was released from custody shortly after 4am.
Her representative, who is handling enquiries about the police incident, has been approached for comment.
Police previously said the children were 'left alone inside of 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 generic picture of a room at the Yale Club
The Yale Club is open to the prestigious university's students, alumni and professors, as well as their guests
Veronica, a senior producer at the Washington Post, has insisted the couple 'had two cameras trained' on the children as they slept, but admitted it was a 'poor decision' to leave them alone.
Veronica Tejera said: '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.
'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.'
Tejera and his wife, Veronica, pictured together, were out for dinner in New York City 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 manner injurious to a child'. She was given a desk ticket which will require her to appear in court at a future date, police said.
Veronica was mourning 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, it is understood.
The NYPD said it received a 911 call at 11pm over 'unattended children' at 50 Vanderbilt Avenue in Manhattan, home of the members-only Yale Club hotel.
They discovered 'a two-year-old female and a five-month-old female were left alone inside of a hotel room for an extended period of time.' The PD did not identify the children but their ages are the same as the Tejeras' daughters.
The Yale Club is an exclusive club for alumni of Yale University. It includes guest rooms that range from budget studios to luxury 556 sq ft suites.
The club also has luxury rooms for weddings and private events, along with fitness facilities and a library.
Veronica's LinkedIn profile currently lists her as a senior producer at the Washington Post, which she joined in October 2022. Before that, she spent nearly six years at CNN. Her profile states that her achievements there include producing an interview with President Joe Biden on The Lead with Jake Tapper.
She has now launched a fundraiser for the Tejera children's 529 college account. A link to the giving page, set up through Fidelity Investments, is included in her Instagram bio.
Veronica Tejera, who is charged with two counts of 'acting in a manner injurious to a child', has asked for support to pay for her daughters' college saving plan following the death of her husband
The page says: 'Dax Tejera passed away suddenly, leaving 2-year-old Sofia and 6-month old Ella without their father. Please support the girl's education.'
English (United States) ·