ABC producer Dax Tejera is laid to rest in Florida after heart attack in Manhattan
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ABC News producer Dax Tejera was laid to rest in Florida today two weeks after suffering a heart attack and collapsing outside a Manhattan steakhouse.
Tejera, 37, who produced This Week With George Stephanopoulos, was enjoying an evening with his wife Veronica just two days before Christmas when he died.
Veronica Tejera, 33, had a solemn expression on her face and was comforted by loved ones as she watched her husband’s casket being loaded into a hearse after the service in Coral Gables, Florida, on Saturday.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Veronica had been arrested and charged just hours after her husband’s death when it was discovered that the couple had left their children, aged five months and two, alone at the hotel while they were out. .
Verónica Tejera, 33, watched as the casket of her husband, ABC producer Dax Tejera, was placed in a hearse in Coral Gables, Florida, on Saturday, two weeks after he died of a heart attack.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Veronica had been arrested and charged just hours after her husband’s death when it was discovered that the couple had left their children alone at the hotel.
Tejera’s casket was placed in the hearse after a service at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Florida.
Tejera suffered a heart attack moments after the couple left Bobby Van’s restaurant on Park Avenue on December 23. he was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Verónica traveled in the ambulance with her husband, while the couple’s friends went to the Yale Club to pick up their children, who were alone in the room. Veronica was later arrested by the NYPD and charged.
Veronica, a senior producer for The Washington Post, has insisted the couple “had two cameras trained” on the children while they slept, but admitted it was a “bad decision” to leave them alone.
In a statement released Monday night, Veronica Tejera said: “My family and I are devastated by the sudden passing of Dax. He has left behind a heartbroken family and two daughters whom he loved with all his heart.
‘When Dax collapsed on December 23, I accompanied him in an ambulance to the hospital. I asked a close friend and my parents to rush to my children’s hotel room to attend to them while I monitored them with a camera. The hotel wouldn’t let my friend in and called the NYPD instead.
“We had two cameras focused on my children while they slept, and I closely monitored them during the time I was away from them. While the girls were unharmed, I realize it was a bad decision.
Dax Tejera with his children and his wife Verónica, who was arrested for child endangerment hours after his death on December 23.
Dax Tejera shared an adorable photo of his daughters on Instagram visiting Rockefeller Center before his death on December 23.
Family and friends gather in Coral Gables, Florida for Tejera’s funeral on Saturday
‘When Dax collapsed on December 23, I accompanied him in an ambulance to the hospital. I asked a close friend and my parents to rush to my children’s hotel room to attend to them while I monitored them with a camera. The hotel wouldn’t let my friend in and called the NYPD instead.
“We had two cameras focused on my children while they slept, and I closely monitored them during the time I was away from them. While the girls were unharmed, I realize it was a bad decision.
Our family has suffered a terrible tragedy. I respectfully request privacy as my children and I mourn Dax’s death.
Veronica has been charged with two counts of ‘acting in a manner detrimental to a child’.
He was given a desk ticket that will require him to appear in court at a future date, police said.
Tejera’s wife, Verónica, comforted by friends and loved ones at her husband’s funeral on Saturday.
Veronica wipes away tears after family and friends comfort her at her husband’s funeral
Verónica Tejera holds on to a loved one as she watches as her husband’s coffin is placed in a hearse
The funeral of ABC News producer Dax Tejera was held Saturday at St Thomas Episcopal Church in Coral Gables, Florida.
It was just two days before Christmas when the Tejera family was in New York celebrating the holidays and had plans to visit friends and go to Rockefeller Center, it goes without saying.
New York police said they received a 911 call at 11 p.m. about “neglected children” at 50 Vanderbilt Avenue in Manhattan, home of the members-only Yale Club hotel.
They found that “a two-year-old girl and a five-month-old girl were left alone inside a hotel room for an extended period of time.”
The Yale Club is an exclusive club for Yale University alumni. It includes rooms ranging from economy studios to 556-square-foot luxury suites.
The Yale Club has luxurious rooms for weddings and private events, as well as a gym and a library.
It was only two days before Christmas when the Tejera family was in New York celebrating the holidays and had plans to visit friends and go to Rockefeller Center.
Tejera with colleagues from ABC in a meeting with President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden
Tejera had worked at ABC since 2017, when he started as a senior producer in the network’s Washington DC office.
Veronica’s LinkedIn currently lists her as a Senior Producer at the Washington Post, which she joined in October 2022.
Before that, he spent almost six years at CNN. His profile indicates that his accomplishments there include producing an interview with President Joe Biden on The Lead with Jake Tapper.
Since then, he has launched a fundraiser for the Tejera Children’s College Fundraising Account 529. A link to the donations page, created through Fidelity Investments, is included in her Instagram bio.
The page reads: ‘Dax Tejera passed away suddenly, leaving 2-year-old Sofía and 6-month-old Ella without their father. Please support the girl’s education.’
Dax Tejera passed away suddenly after suffering a heart attack. He has worked with George Stephanopoulos and Martha Raddatz, and recently traveled to London to contribute to the network’s coverage of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The couple was staying at the Yale Club in Manhattan and the children stayed in one of the rooms while the Tejeras went out. Pictured: A generic image of a room at the Yale Club
The Yale Club is open to students, alumni, and faculty of the university, as well as their guests.
In a memo to staff on Christmas Eve, ABC News President Kim Godwin said: “It is with heavy hearts and sadness that we share that our friend and colleague, Dax Tejera, passed away suddenly from a heart attack last night.”
‘Like the “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” EP, Dax’s energy, passion and love for that show, ABC News and you shone through every Sunday morning. That same love extended to his precious girls.
“Our thoughts are with his wife, Verónica, the couple’s two young daughters and the entire Tejera family.”
Tejera had worked at ABC since 2017, when he started as a senior producer in the network’s Washington DC office.
He previously worked at NBC and earned degrees from Dartmouth and Columbia.