Who Killed Ariela Mejia-Polanco and Why?
By Dan Murphy
A murder investigation is underway after 33-year-old Ariela Mejia-Polanco, a social media influencer and mother of two, was found shot dead in her car on the eastbound Cross County Parkway in Mount Vernon on August 18.
But more than 3 weeks after her death, there have been no updates or announcements of arrests made in the case.
On Aug. 18, the Westchester County Police Department posted, “The woman found deceased in her car on the Cross County Parkway on Sunday died as a result of gunshot wounds, the Westchester County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed today.
“Ariela Mejia-Polanco, 33, who has addresses in Westchester and Rockland counties, was found deceased about 8 a.m. behind the wheel of her car on the eastbound Cross County Parkway near the Broad Street exit in Mount Vernon. Preliminary investigation determined that the woman was likely targeted for violence, and her death was not a random act.
“The homicide remains under investigation by detectives from the General Investigations Unit. Assistance has been provided by other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies during in the continuing investigation. Due to that ongoing investigation, additional details are not being disclosed at this time.”
Timeline:
Polanco was driving alone in her Mercedes SUV in the morning of Aug. 18. She left her job at Ikon New York, a cocktail lounge in Washington Heights on Sunday morning around 4:30 a.m.
Westchester County Police were notified that her car was pulled over on the Cross County a few feet from the Broad Street Exit in Mt. Veron. She was found slumped over the driver’s side of the car, with gunshot shells in the car and in the street.
Because Polanco was found on the Cross County Parkway, Westchester County Police are taking the lead for local law enforcement and are working with the FBI on the case.
Successful Businesswoman:
Ariela Mejia-Polanco, 33, a social media influencer and nightlife personality-hostess. She had over 550,000 followers on Instagram. Each one of her posts generated $10,000 in income for her, and combined with her nightlife work and other enterprises, made Ariela the Lobster, and ariiella.lalangosta, her screen names, a multi-millionaire.
Her final Instagram post was at 117 AM from ikon where she posted she was “happy and blessed.”
She was one of the more popular Dominican-born influencers known for her daring personality, modeling, and dance content. She joined Instagram in 2018, around the same time she became a rising star in hip-hop circles and was a close friend of the rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine.
According to the social media site True Crime Unravelled, during her friendship or relationship with Tekashi, Mejia-Polanco was kidnapped by the 9 Trey Ganster Blood gang, who was entangled in a violent feud with Tekashi.
Released on the same day, Ariela later testified in Federal racketeering case against the gang members who kidnapped her. This courageous decision has some wondering if, 7 years later, her shooting was somehow linked to her testimony.
Five years after her kidnapping, Ariela appeared in a Tekashi video in 2023.
Questions Remain:
After leaving ikon at 403am, she was found dead on the Cross County parkway at 8am. How long was she on the side of the road? Did she go somewhere else after ikon or was she driving directly to Mt. Vernon?
Most of the focus of the media is on the guess that Ariela was killed as part of a gang feud. Most believe that it was a hit, but by who and for who?
Others say that because of her fame, and notoriety and wealth, that this was a robbery gone bad. If that was the case, how much money and jewelry could she have had on her at the time of her death?
Are there robbery gangs working in Westchester? Or did they follow her from Washington Heights if this was a robbery?
Mejia-Polanco leaves behind two children, ages 13 and 14. She was looking forward to celebrating her daughter’s quinceañera birthday celebration.
What we take away from the life of Ariela Majia-Polanco is that we celebrate her success in living the American Dream. She was a Dominican immigrant mother of two who built an empire from nothing. She was a true 21st century capitalist.
But with the millions she earned, one question we ask is that when she leaves the NYC nightclubs at 4am, why didn’t she have a driver-security-bodyguard protecting her?
She had the money to do so. Perhaps she wanted to live like a girl from the streets to earn credibility to her half a million followers.
So why is it taking so long for law enforcement to find her killers? One of our law enforcement friends say that it may be a good thing that it’s taking so long, and that we have heard nothing from law enforcement in 3 weeks.
They don’t want to tip off their suspects. Be patient. But we also want to report on an unsolved murder in Westchester, which are few a far between.
