Dax Tejera, a news producer for ABC News, died on December 23 in New York after suffering a heart attack outside Bobby Van’s restaurant.
His wife and their two daughters, who were aged two and six months old, were left in a hotel room for several hours.
According to the Daily Mail, the couple’s daughter was left alone in the room for around eight hours.
The restaurant is located near the hotel where the family had been staying. After they walked out of the restaurant, 30-year-old Dax suffered a heart attack.
His wife, who was accompanied by her husband in the ambulance, was taken to the hospital by their friends.
The hotel staff informed the police about the incident at around 11pm. After being arrested, the widow, who was 33 years old, was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
According to the police, the children were left unattended in their room for several hours.
She was released from jail in the morning. As a senior producer for the Washington Post, she noted that there were cameras in the room, and she admitted that it was a poor decision to leave her children behind.
In a statement, the widow said that she and her husband were in an ambulance when Dax suffered a heart failure on December 23.
She then asked her parents and a close friend to go to the hotel to look after her children. However, the hotel refused to allow her friend to enter the room and called the police.
The statement released by the widow stated that her family has suffered a tragic loss. She asked for privacy as she mourns the death of her husband.