The widow of slain NYPD officer Jason Rivera — who was gunned down with partner Wilbert Mora in Harlem last year — announced this week that she has given birth to the couple’s “miracle” child, according to a report.
Dominique Luzuriaga Rivera took to Instagram Wednesday evening with a photo of her new bundle of joy, Wesley, WPIX reported.
“A baby fills a place in your heart you never knew was empty,” she wrote alongside a photo of the sleeping infant holding a small teddy bear. “Meet my little prince Wesley.”
Her Instagram was privatized on Friday, but the photo was viewed by the news outlet – who said that Luzuriaga Rivera did not formally announce her son’s date of birth with the latest post.
But last month, she posted a photo of an infant’s hand with the caption “6/12/23.”
Rivera first announced she was pregnant with her slain husband’s child during a January memorial service honoring the first anniversary of the fatal on-duty shooting.
Dominique Luzuriaga Rivera announced the birth of her newborn son Wesley, who she shares with slain NYPD officer Jason Rivera. ___dlxo“One of the things I’m learning is that God works in mysterious ways,” Luzuriaga Rivera said. “Though sorrow and pain, there can also be a rebirth. I am blessed to say that Jason and I will be expecting our miracle this spring.”
“Although Jason won’t be here in physical form to see and experience our miracle, I know he will always be here in spirit watching, protecting, and loving us,” she added.
“To my unborn child, my hope is with time, guidance, and love they, too, will get to know their father, and as a family” we will “never forget Jason’s tremendous legacy of success and ultimate sacrifice.”
Rivera first announced she was pregnant with her slain husband’s child during a January memorial service. Instagram/____dlxoThe Riveras were childhood sweethearts who were married for only a few months when he was killed.
Rivera’s sperm was harvested at the hospital after he was gunned down, a source who knows the family said at the time.
The news was received with thunderous cheers and a standing ovation at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, bringing some joy to what was a solemn event.
Rivera, a 22-year-old NYPD rookie, and Mora, 27, responded to a domestic disturbance call in Harlem on Jan. 21, 2022, when they were ambushed by career criminal Lashawn McNeil.
The Riveras were childhood sweethearts who were married for only a few months when he was killed. REUTERSBoth cops were mortally wounded before another officer, Sumit Sulan, fatally shot McNeil.
Rivera and Mora, who was single without kids, were laid to rest after massive funeral services at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
This spring, Luzariaga Rivera told The Post that her then-unborn child was being awarded a $20,000 college scholarship through The First Responders Children’s Foundation.
“That is amazing,” Luzuriaga Rivera said of the gift. “I just think how fortunate and how lucky this baby — who is not even born — would have [this] to lean on.
Both Rivera and Mora were laid to rest after massive funeral services at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. G.N.Miller/NYPost“Because for me to go to school … it was hard for me,” she said. “So to have that financial support and not think about that part and go to college stress-free, it’s a blessing.
“I can’t be more grateful than that.”
This spring, the Rivera’s then-unborn child was being awarded a $20,000 college scholarship through The First Responders Children’s Foundation. Paul MartinkaThe couple met in elementary school and were in “puppy love” by middle school. Despite going to separate high schools and on to college, they remained in touch and later reconnected.
“I hope the baby is as smart as you and independent,” Luzuriaga Rivera said during the January memorial service, describing how Jason used to talk about their future child. “He’s not here, but I can see my baby and think about [how] this baby was created by the love between him, you know, me and the father.”
