An unthinkable tragedy struck Roosevelt Avenue in Elmhurst when a local man was charged with murder and several other crimes after he used his vehicle to deliberately run down a teenage girl and her family, the Queens District Attorney's Office revealed as per a recent press release. Edwin Cruz Gomez, 38, stands accused of driving his SUV onto the sidewalk, targeting the group of four and ultimately killing 16-year-old Jhoanny Alvarez, having just moments before subjected her and her mother to unwelcome sexual advances.
According to DA Katz's statement obtained by the Queens DA's Office, after a physical confrontation that involved Alvarez's stepfather and boyfriend, the parties went their separate ways, however, a seemingly inebriated Gomez got into his Chevrolet Suburban and turned onto Benham Street, where he proceeded to mount the sidewalk in the direction of the family, reversing after the initial collision only to hit an unoccupied van, then fleeing the scene on foot, leaving behind a harrowing tableau wreathed in the echo of a preventable horror. The incident not only claimed the life of young Alvarez, but also left her mother hospitalized with leg injuries and shook the Queens community to its core.
Found blocks away by NYPD officers, Gomez reportedly had a blood alcohol content level of .137 percent, topping the legal limit of .08 percent. He is charged with murder in the second degree, attempted murder, assault, vehicular manslaughter among other offenses, his arraignment was before Queens Criminal Court Judge Lana Schlesinger. If convicted, Gomez could be staring down over 25 years to a life in prison.
Detective Timothy Ziegler of the NYPD’s 110th Detective Squad led the investigation, while Assistant District Attorney Abigail Neuviller is prosecuting the case, confirmed by the Queens District Attorney’s Office.
