A man previously deported to Honduras was arrested and charged with murder after a 16-year-old girl was killed and her mother was struck in a hit-and-run early Saturday in Queens, New York, authorities said.
Edwin Cruz Gomez, 38, was taken into custody by the New York City Police Department and charged with murder, three counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault and other crimes, according to law enforcement officials. The teen, identified by authorities as Jhoanny Gomez-Alvarez, was pronounced dead at the scene, and her mother was reported in stable condition.
NYPD officers responded just before 4:15 a.m. to reports that a gray 2009 Chevrolet Suburban had struck the pair on a Queens street and fled the scene, according to police. The vehicle allegedly later struck a parked car at the intersection of Roosevelt Avenue and Benham Street, where officers located and arrested the suspect.
A senior official at Immigration and Customs Enforcement told Fox News that Gomez had been deported in 2005. Records and statements from sources cited by media outlets indicate he had multiple prior arrests including driving under the influence. In April 2013, Gomez was arrested on a DUI charge and detained by ICE’s Long Island office; authorities at the time served him with a reinstatement of a deportation order but released him three months later to an Alternatives to Detention program, after which he was not located by federal officials, the ICE source said.
Sources also told Fox News that Gomez was arrested in October 2024 on a charge of possessing a forged instrument but was not prioritized for immigration action under the Biden administration’s enforcement guidelines. He was convicted Nov. 13, 2024, in Nassau County of driving without a license and sentenced to five days in jail, then released. A separate Jan. 26 arrest for driving under the influence also resulted in his release before an immigration detainer could be lodged, according to the sources.
An immigration detainer was placed on Gomez on Monday following his arrest in the Queens crash, ICE confirmed to local media. A detainer requests that local authorities notify and hold a person for federal immigration officials, but such requests are not mandatory under federal law and their enforcement can vary by jurisdiction.
Police said investigators are examining the circumstances of the collision and the alleged motive, including media reports that Gomez struck the victims after they rejected his sexual advances. Authorities did not immediately release additional details about the timeline of the confrontation or statements from the victims or witnesses.
Gomez remains in police custody pending prosecution on state charges. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and NYPD are handling the criminal case; federal immigration authorities are pursuing a detainer and any civil immigration actions that may follow.
The case comes amid heightened public attention to fatal crashes involving noncitizens in recent days and renewed scrutiny of immigration enforcement policies. Advocates and officials have debated the extent to which federal enforcement priorities, court-ordered release programs and local cooperation with ICE contribute to public-safety outcomes. Law enforcement agencies and ICE routinely say individual-case decisions are influenced by criminal histories, court orders and available federal resources.
Investigators have asked anyone with information, video or additional evidence to contact the NYPD. The criminal investigation and any parallel immigration proceedings are ongoing.