A 16-year-old girl, Jhoanny Gomez-Alvarez, was killed in New York City on Saturday after being struck by a vehicle driven by Edwin Cruz-Gomez. According to police and media reports, Cruz-Gomez is an undocumented immigrant from Honduras who had previously been deported and had multiple prior arrests for driving under the influence.
Fox News reporter Bill Melugin reported that Cruz-Gomez was “a previously deported Honduran illegal alien w/ multiple prior DUI arrests.” Melugin also stated, “I’m told he was also ignored by ICE after an October 2024 arrest for possession of a forged instrument because the Biden administration didn’t consider him an immigration enforcement priority.”
The incident occurred near Prima Donna in Queens at approximately 4 a.m. Saturday. Witnesses say Cruz-Gomez made sexual advances toward Gomez-Alvarez as she walked with her mother and friends. After an argument, he entered his Chevy Suburban and drove onto the sidewalk, pinning Gomez-Alvarez against a pillar. Her mother survived the incident.
According to The New York Post, “Driving with a suspended license, Edwin Cruz-Gomez, 38, allegedly plowed a 2009 Chevy Suburban into teen Jhoanny Gomez-Alvarez following a heated fight with the girl, her boyfriend, her mother and the mother’s friend Saturday morning outside an Elmhurst bar.” The report adds that earlier this year Cruz-Gomez had been charged with driving while intoxicated on Long Island’s Southern State Parkway and his license was suspended following that January incident.
Cruz-Gomez has now been charged with murder in connection to this case.
