NEW YORK (WPIX) – The young widow of NYPD detective Jason Rivera, who was just 22 when he was fatally gunned down with his partner Wilbert Mora in Harlem in January of last year, revealed she recently gave birth to his baby son.
Posting a picture on Instagram Wednesday evening, Dominique Luzuriaga Rivera wrote: “A baby fills a place in your heart you never knew was empty. Meet my little prince Wesley.”
The baby is seen swaddled in a tan outfit, holding a small teddy bear, as he appears to sleep peacefully.
Luzuriaga Rivera did not formally announce the baby boy’s birth date with the picture, but last month, she featured a photo of an infant’s hand on Instagram with a brief post: “6/12/23.” The widow had revealed on the first anniversary of Jason Rivera’s death that she was expecting his child in the spring.
She appeared far along in the pregnancy when she spoke during an anniversary Mass on Jan. 21 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral to remember the slain officer from the 32nd Precinct, who was promoted posthumously to detective first grade at his 2022 funeral.
“I am blessed to say that Jason and I will be expecting our miracle this spring,” Luzuriaga Rivera, 23, had said as she received emotional applause.
The couple had only been married just over three months when Rivera was shot and killed.
On the night Jason Rivera died, doctors at Harlem Hospital were able to harvest his sperm, a process that was also performed in 2014 after NYPD newlywed Wenjian Liu was assassinated with his partner in Brooklyn. Liu’s wife gave birth to her baby girl Angelina 2 ½ years later in 2017.
Luzuriaga Rivera had spoken powerfully at her husband’s funeral in 2022. She was upset about new crime laws she said put cops at risk.
Jason Rivera and his partner Wilbert Mora were ambushed by a gunman who swung open a bedroom door after the two officers responded to a domestic dispute 911 call involving the man’s mother, according to police.
Luzuriaga Rivera has repeatedly spoken about the pain of her loss on Instagram.
When she posted the announcement of their son’s birth Wednesday evening, Luzuriaga Rivera quickly followed with a photo of Rivera and her at their wedding, which showed the smiling couple hand in hand near the New Jersey waterfront, with the New York City skyline behind them.
“My soulmate, best friend, and lover from now until the end of time,” Dominique Luzuriaga Rivera wrote. “Mrs. Rivera. Oct 9, 2021.”
The widow’s post about the birth of their son inspired hundreds and hundreds of comments.
“God bless!!! Looking like his daddy already!” wrote @lori_c.
Another poster said the baby was a gift.
“You had such a loss but have been so blessed,” said @jrandy61. “He’s smiling down on you and seeing the mother of his child he knew you would be and more.”
Source: Fox 8 News Channel