One 37-year-old producer for ABC News who was at first reported to have died of a heart attack late last year actually died from choking while intoxicated, as reported by a report from the medical examiner.
The death of Dax Tejera, known to be the executive producer of the show “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” was widely reported late last year after ABC News President Kim Goodwin stated that he died due to a heart attack. However, new information released by New York City’s Chief Medical Examiner explained to the New York Post this past Wednesday that the actual cause of death for the very young producer was “asphyxia due to obstruction of airway by food bolus complicating acute alcohol intoxication.”
At the time, Tejera was at Bobby Van’s 230Park located in New York City for a dinner party with friends the night that he died, explains the report from the Post. However, once the meal hit the table, Tejera allegedly quickly got up from his seat, rushed outside, and collapsed over.
“The server said that he collapsed in the corner, right here outside the restaurant,” explained an employee from the restaurant reportedly to the Post. “It was terrible.”
Veronica, the man’s wife, was taken into custody just hours after his death on charges of child endangerment, with police officials claiming that the couple abandoned their two daughters — a 2-year-old and a 5-month-old — inside of a hotel room for an extremely “extended period of time,” stated a report from Variety. Veronica attempted to defend herself, stating that she reached out to her parents to watch over the kids while she was at the hospital with her husband, but the hotel would not let the grandparents in.
“We had two cameras trained on my children as they slept, and I monitored them closely in the time I was away from them,” she explained to the Post. “While the girls were unharmed, I realize that it was a poor decision.”
Tejera first joined ABC News back in 2017 after working for NBC News, Fusion, and MSNBC. He started to head up “This Week,” which is a Sunday morning talk show using George Stephanopoulos as an anchor, near the inception of the COVID pandemic, as per Media Moves.
A congressional correspondent for ABC News, Rachel Scott. explained that the death of Tejera “has left us shocked and hurt.”
“As EP of ‘This Week with George Stephanopoulos’ Dax’s energy, passion, and love for that show, ABC News, and you, shined every Sunday morning,” explained Godwin. “That same love was extended to his precious girls.”
Godwin concluded: “Our thoughts are with his wife, Veronica, the couple’s two young daughters, and the entire Tejera family.”
