A Ridgewood man has been criminally charged for allegedly stabbing his wife and 2-year-old daughter to death in his family’s apartment on Saturday night.
Ernesto Cruz, 54, of 63-35 Forest Avenue, was arrested Sunday night and charged with two counts of murder for fatally stabbing his 41-year-old wife, Ana Pilatagsi-Moposita, and then turning the knife on his daughter, Analiz Cruz, before stabbing himself in an apparent suicide attempt.
Law enforcement sources familiar with the preliminary investigation said Cruz had been on a FaceTime call with his nephew when he grabbed a kitchen knife and began his bloody rampage, and it was the nephew who called police to the family’s Ridgewood residence.
Police from the 104th Precinct received a 911 call reporting an assault in progress at the locations and found Cruz with a self-inflicted stab wound to his chest and Pilatagsi-Moposita with multiple stab wounds to her neck and chest. Then they found the toddler with multiple stab wounds to her neck and chest, police said. EMS transported Cruz to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition. EMS also rushed the wounded woman to Elmhurst Hospital, where she was listed in critical condition and was later pronounced dead.
EMS transported the 2-year-old to Wykoff Heights Medical Center, where she was listed in critical condition and was later pronounced dead by hospital staff late Saturday night.
The motive behind the double homicide has not been divulged by investigators, and police recovered the bloody kitchen knife at the crime scene.
Cruz was additionally charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon. His arraignment in Queens Criminal Court has not been scheduled as of Monday afternoon, according to the Queens District Attorney’s office.
Through July 20, the 104th Precinct has reported four murders so far in 2025, three more than the one reported at the same point last year, and an increase of 300%, according to the most recent CompStat report.
