Omar Minaya’s son breaks his silence on mother Rachel’s ‘shocking’ death after she was found unconscious in the bathroom of a New Jersey home
![Omar Minaya’s son breaks his silence on mother Rachel’s ‘shocking’ death after she was found unconscious in the bathroom of a New Jersey home Omar Minaya’s son breaks his silence on mother Rachel’s ‘shocking’ death after she was found unconscious in the bathroom of a New Jersey home](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/07/22/03/87607929-0-image-m-75_1721616795586.jpg)
By Emma James in Harrington Park, New Jersey for Dailymail.Com
21:15 July 22, 2024, updated 23:24 July 22, 2024
- Rachel Minaya, wife of former Mets GM Omar, was found dead in her home
- Details of her death were not disclosed, but Omar was not present
- The couple has two sons, one of whom played for the NBA Blazers
The grieving family of Rachel Minaya, the wife of former New York Mets general manager Omar Minaya, said her mysterious death over the weekend left their loved ones “shocked.”
Speaking to DailyMail.com outside the family’s $1.1 million home in New Jersey, Rachel’s youngest son Teddy said her sudden death on Saturday had left a “gap” in the family.
“That’s the only way to describe it,” he said. “We love her and we miss her – there will be a gap … she will be with us in spirit.”
He added that his family hopes to make a statement soon to clarify the situation, “but right now we’re just taking it easy and want people to respect our privacy.”
Both Teddy and his older brother Justin, who plays for the Portland Trail Blazers, have returned to the family home with their father, who was away at the time of Rachel’s death.
The investigation into Rachel’s death, first reported by the New York Post, has ruled out suicide as the cause of death.
In a statement to DailyMail.com, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said the circumstances of Rachel’s death “do not appear suspicious,” but did not provide details about the investigation.
Musella’s office said Rachel was found “unconscious and unresponsive” in the bathroom of her New Jersey home shortly after 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
After initial resuscitation attempts, Rachel was taken to Hackensack Meridian Health Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood, where she was pronounced dead.
Although the circumstances do not appear suspicious, officials stressed that the investigation is ongoing in cooperation with Harrington Park police.
Rachel leaves behind Omar and their two sons, Teddy and Justin, the latter of whom played for both the Portland Trail Blazers and their affiliate team in the G-League in the 2023-24 season.
Justin is back in Las Vegas this month with the Trail Blazers Summer League team. His father, Omar, appeared in the crowd during the NBA Summer League game at Cox Pavilion on Wednesday.
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Rachel, whose maiden name is Albright, was from New Jersey and met Omar in 1989 while working at a unisex salon in Manhattan, according to a 2007 article about her husband in Sports Illustrated.
The article goes on to detail a moment when Minaya considered bringing in controversial reliever John Rocker, who had made racist comments about New York to Sports Illustrated years earlier.
Minaya admits that he would have brought in the fiery reliever if his wife hadn’t opposed it.
When Omar took over the Mets position in 2004, he became the first Hispanic general manager in baseball.
His tenure in Queens is best remembered for the groundbreaking signings of Boston Red Sox star Pedro Martinez and All-Star outfielder Carlos Beltran.
Omar has been working as a senior advisor to GM Brian Cashman for the New York Yankees since 2023.
On Monday, the Yankees held a moment of silence to pay their final respects to Rachel. The team said it wanted to “express our deepest condolences to Rachel’s family and friends during this time.”
Previously, he worked as an executive for the Montreal Expos and as a scout for the Texas Rangers.
Originally from the Dominican Republic, Omar moved to Queens at age 8 and grew up in Corona before becoming a star baseball player at Newtown High School in Elmhurst.