A 38-year-old man accused of fatally striking a 16-year-old girl with his vehicle in Queens early Saturday has been charged with murder, according to police and media reports.
The suspect, identified as Edwin Cruz-Gomez, allegedly drove onto a sidewalk and pinned the teen, Jhoanny Gomez-Alvarez, against a pillar following a confrontation outside a bar in Elmhurst. The incident reportedly occurred after Cruz-Gomez made unwanted sexual advances toward Gomez-Alvarez, who was walking with her mother, boyfriend, and others around 4 a.m.
According to the New York Post, Cruz-Gomez was intoxicated at the time and was operating a 2009 Chevy Suburban on a suspended license. Court records show that his license had been suspended following a DWI arrest earlier this year on Long Island’s Southern State Parkway.
BREAKING: Per ICE sources, the drunk driver arrested by NYPD for murder on Saturday after he fatally mowed down a 16-year-old girl who rejected his sexual advances is a previously deported Honduran illegal alien w/ multiple prior DUI arrests. I’m told he was also ignored by ICE… pic.twitter.com/bl7rr2eKlD
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) September 16, 2025
On Tuesday, Fox News reporter Bill Melugin reported that Cruz-Gomez is an undocumented immigrant from Honduras who had previously been deported and had multiple prior DUI arrests. Melugin, citing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sources, also reported that Cruz-Gomez was arrested in October 2024 for possession of a forged instrument but was not detained by ICE due to current immigration enforcement guidelines.
Gomez-Alvarez’s mother survived the incident. The case has sparked renewed attention on immigration enforcement policies and repeat DUI offenders.