Maniac NYC driver who mowed down teen girl for rejecting lewd advances was previously deported, arrested: report
The driver accused of intentionally mowing down a 16-year-old Queens girl is an illegal migrant who had previously been deported and had multiple run-ins with the law, according to a report.
Edwin Cruz-Gomez, 38, allegedly fatally hit teen Jhoanny Alvarez on a Queens sidewalk with his 2009 Chevy Suburban after he made unwanted sexual advances toward her and her mother outside an Elmhurst restaurant early Saturday morning, according to prosecutors.
The crude remarks sparked a heated fight between that involved the teen and her mother, as well as the girl’s boyfriend and stepfather, prosecutors said. Cruz-Gomez allegedly jumped in his car and “intentionally” slammed into three of the four loved ones, prosecutors claimed.
Cruz-Gomez, a Honduran national now facing murder charges, was booted from the US in 2005 before reentering at a later date, a senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement source told Fox News.
He was arrested in April 2013 on a driving under the influence rap and was even detained by ICE Long Island, according to the outlet.
He reportedly faced another deportation order, but was freed from custody three months later under the Alternatives to Detention program with officials then losing track of him.
Sources claimed to Fox News federal officials ignored Gomez after he was arrested for possession of a forged instrument in October 2024 because his deportation wasn’t a priority to the Biden administration.
A month later he was convicted for driving without a license and hit with a five-day prison sentence, and arrested again this past January for another DUI infraction, but was released, according to the outlet.
An ICE detainer was slapped against Cruz-Gomez in the aftermath of his latest arrest Saturday, the report said.
Prosecutors said he had a blood alcohol level about twice the legal limit four hours after the crash.
He is also facing three counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault and a count of vehicular manslaughter.
He could spend 25 years behind bars if convicted on the top murder count.
An ICE spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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