The Dominican pop culture community is mourning the loss of Ariela Mejia-Polanco, known to her 500,000-person following as Ariela La Langosta, after she was found dead in her vehicle on the Cross County Parkway in Mount Vernon on Aug. 17.
Westchester County Police said Meija-Polanco, 33, was found dead at around 8 a.m., Sunday, Aug. 18, on the Cross County Parkway. She was found with multiple gun shot wounds, leading officials to believe she was a “targeted victim of a homicide.”
Police said Mejia-Polanco had addresses in both Rockland and Westchester, with a residence in Stony Point and another in Mount Vernon. Officials say she may have been on the way to her new Mount Vernon residence on Broad Street when she was shot.
Ariela La Langosta: Influencer was ‘happy and blessed’, ‘shining star’
She was most well known as a fashion and culture content creator, dancer and bartender at some of New York City’s most frequented bars and lounges. At the time of her death she had over 566,000 followers on Instagram.
Just hours before she was killed, she posted a photo from her job at Ikon New York in Washington Heights with the caption “Happy and blessed.”
Ikon New York later posted a tribute to her memory and closed the bar until Aug. 21.
“Today we lost our shining star @ariiela.lalangosta Our hearts are broken,” the post read. “Your joy, your humility, and the way you treated everyone with so much care always made you stand out. Thank you for giving so much love and support to our home, which also became yours.”
Tekashi 6ix9ine, Cardi B pay tribute to Ariela La Langosta
Many rappers, musicians and personalities in the Latino entertainment sphere posted tributes to her following the announcement of her death, including former boyfriend Tekashi 6ix9ine, and global pop star Cardi B, who wrote “RIP Dominican pretty” in a story posted to her Instagram Sunday evening.
Mejia-Polanco was featured in 6ix9ine’s 2023 music video “WAPAE,” which as of Thursday has 31 million views.
Other clubs in New York, including Opus Lounge and Starlets of New York posted tributes to Mejia-Polanco following her death.
Starlets of New York said she was “a one-of-a-kind soul — a beautiful friend, loving mother, and daughter whose smile and energy lit up every room she entered. Her energy will forever be missed, but her spirit will always live on with us.”
A memorial took shape in Washington Heights Monday, with followers leaving pictures, stuffed animals, candles and flowers.
Mejia-Polanco had two children, ages 13 and 14, at the time of her death, according to reports from WABC.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Ariela La Langosta ‘shining star’: What we know of slain influencer found in Westchester
Reporting by Alexandra Rivera and Jonathan Bandler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
