The alleged “monster” accused of raping a young girl in a Queens park last week wound up in handcuffs early Tuesday morning after community members took justice into their own hands.
According to Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny, 25-year-old Christian Inga was apprehended on June 18 after being physically restrained by at least 10 individuals who used a belt to tie him up on 108th and Waldron Streets in Corona.
“When they saw him out on the street, they tried to detain him — they called 911. He began to fight back as community members tried to retain him and he suffered some minor injuries,” Chief Kenny told amNewYork Metro. “They may have used a belt to hold his feet together.”
Sources familiar with the case indicated that Chief Kenny was being diplomatic in describing the incident; in fact, the sources alleged, locals pummeled the man into submission and held him there until police arrived, leaving him with an array of bruises and a missing shoe. It was initially reported that the assault occurred at a shelter near 108th and Waldron Streets, but police later clarified that it occurred on the street.
Inga was treated at Elmhurst Hospital before being taken back into custody and charged on Tuesday with first-degree rape and other felony counts.
He had visible wounds on his face and forehead when detectives escorted him out of the 112th Precinct stationhouse in Forest Hills on Tuesday afternoon en route to Queens Criminal Court House for arraignment. Inga was quiet as he was led to the back of a waiting police vehicle, with a couple of bystanders heckling him. One called the suspect a “piece of s–t.”
In officially announcing the arrest Tuesday, Police Commissioner Edward Caban said the apprehension came after an investigation that spared no expense. Caban credited investigators for finding images of Inga, which proved instrumental.
“The horrific crime was committed in broad daylight and our investigators immediately went about apprehending the person responsible,” Commissioner Caban said. “I especially want to thank New Yorkers. There is no greater force multiplied in the eyes, and it is being engaged and fully involved in the public. This is exactly what we say when we talk about public safety, which is a shared responsibility.”
Inga allegedly attacked the 13-year-old girl as she played with a 13-year-old boy inside of Kissena Corridor Park on June 13. Police accuse him of forcing the youngsters at knifepoint into a secluded area of the park, where he bound them with shoelaces, then raped the young girl.
Both youngsters were later treated at a local hospital. The 109th Precinct initially responded to the attack.
Police say Inga, who hails from Ecuador, entered the country in 2021 through Eagle Pass, Texas, alongside a 3-year-old boy; the tot’s whereabouts are unknown, and his relation to Inga is unclear.
Chief Kenny reported that Inga has no prior arrest history in the Big Apple but has received several summons; he was also involved in a domestic dispute that did not require an arrest.
Chief Kenny reported that Inga admitted to the crime but also told police that he had never done anything like it in the past, adding that he also suffers from a drug problem. He also stated that he was facing deportation. Chief Kenny also stated that DNA evidence is still being processed.
Police brass also complimented the sketch artist for providing an accurate likeness of the suspect early on in the investigation.
“That sketch was dead on,” Chief Kenny said. “That sketch was plastered everywhere. Everybody knew who we were looking for.”
Inga faces charges of first-degree rape, robbery, menacing, sex abuse, and unlawful imprisonment; second-degree kidnapping; acting in a manner injurious to a child; and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
