Dax Tejera’s widow was arrested on child endangerment charges HOURS after he died

The wife of ABC News producer Dax Tejera was arrested just hours after he died of a heart attack two days before Christmas on charges of child endangerment.

Veronica Tejera was arrested by NYPD officers and charged with two counts of “acting in a manner harmful to a child” after her husband died of a heart attack on Dec. 23.

Police received an 911 about “unsupervised children” at 11 p.m. at 50 Vanderbilt Avenue in Manhattan, home to the members-only Yale Club hotel.

They found that “a two-year-old female and a five-month-old female were left alone in a hotel room for a long time.” The police have not identified the children, but their age is the same as the daughters of the Tejeras.

Veronica Tejera received a desk receipt that requires her to appear in court at a later date, police said.

Varietywho first reported her arrest said Veronica did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Dax Tejera died suddenly after a heart attack. The 37-year-old 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.

In a memo to staff on Christmas Eve, ABC News President Kim Godwin said, “It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that we share that our friend and colleague, Dax Tejera, passed away suddenly last night from a heart attack.

As an EP of “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” Dax’s energy, passion, and love for that show, ABC News, and you shined every Sunday morning. That same love was extended to his precious girls.

“Our thoughts are with his wife Veronica, the couple’s two young daughters, and the entire Tejera family.”

Also on social media, tributes were paid by colleagues.

Good Morning America correspondent Gio Benitez said in a moving Instagram post, “As you celebrate Christmas Eve with your family, please keep Dax Tejera’s family in your thoughts and prayers.

“He was the executive producer of This Week ABC, a friend to all of us, and—most importantly—a loving husband to Veronica and a devoted father to two beautiful little girls, Sofia and Ella.

“Dax was a champion to so many at ABC News, leading the way with groundbreaking television specials.”

He posted a photo of the pair at the White House, explaining that it was taken after an interview with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre “for a Pride special of its kind.”

‘We often agreed that we were exactly the same age: 37. Way too young to be gone now. We will miss you very much, Dax. Godspeed, my friend,” Benitez wrote.

Cecilia Vega posted her own tribute, writing alongside a photo of Tejera, “You smile. Your laugh. Your dedication. Your deep love for Veronica and your beautiful daughters. You take pride in your work. The way you looked out for the next generation and fought to pave the way for Latinos to emerge.

‘The way you broke through barriers yourself. The way you always encouraged me and believed in me. Your proper Miami style and the fact that you never wore socks even on the coldest cold days. Dax Tejera, you have gone too soon.

“We’ll miss everything about you. Your family was so lucky to have you. Your legacy lives on in all those you championed and applauded.”

Tejera had been with ABC since 2017, when he started as a Senior Producer at the network’s Washington DC office.

He previously worked at NBC and holds degrees from both Dartmouth and Columbia.