A Queens grand jury indicted a Long Island man for murder, attempted murder, driving under the influence and other related crimes for intentionally aiming his vehicle at a 16-year-old girl and her family on Roosevelt Avenue in Elmhurst and killing the teen.
Edwin Cruz Gomez, of Nostrand Avenue in Uniondale, was arraigned Oct. 7 in Queens Supreme Court on a 15-count indictment that additionally charged him with aggravated vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an incident without reporting for allegedly slamming his SUV into 16-year-old Jhoanny Saray Gomez-Alvarez and her 32-year-old mother moments after he sexually propositioned them, setting off a drunken brawl.
According to the charges and investigation, on Sept. 13, at approximately 4:10 a.m., Cruz Gomez was with several other men in front of the Prima Donna Restaurant on Roosevelt Avenue between Elmhurst Avenue and Benham Street. The men encountered the girl from Manhattan and her mother, stepfather, and boyfriend. Gomez began harassing the victim and her mom, offering them both money for sexual acts. A verbal dispute ensued and then escalated into a physical altercation between the victim’s stepfather and Gomez. The victim and her mother intervened and separated the two men.
Following the confrontation, all parties separated. The victim, her mother, stepfather, and boyfriend walked away from the restaurant to the opposite side of Roosevelt Avenue, crossing Benham Street, and stood a distance away.
According to the charges, Gomez got into his gray 2009 Chevy Suburban, which was double-parked on Roosevelt Avenue, and started to drive, making a right turn onto Benham Street, and then drove up onto the sidewalk directly in line with the foursome, without braking or attempting to avoid them, and allegedly struck Alvarez — pinning her against a light pole — and her mother, and stepfather. Gomez then proceeded in reverse on Benham Street against the posted direction until he struck an unoccupied van. At that point, Gomez abandoned his SUV and fled the scene on foot.
Police from the 110th Precinct responded to the scene, where emergency responders determined Alvarez was deceased due to her injuries. Her mother was transported to Elmhurst Hospital for treatment of injuries to her leg sustained during the collision. The defendant approached uniformed NYPD officers a few blocks away and reported that he had been assaulted. He led officers back to the collision location. Scientific analysis based on a breath test of the defendant administered after the collision indicated his blood alcohol content at the time of the collision was between .18 and .21%, which was above the legal threshold of .08%.
“As alleged, the defendant crudely propositioned 16-year-old Jhoanny Saray Gomez-Alvarez and her mother for sex,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “After a brief physical altercation with the child’s stepfather, the defendant got behind the wheel of his SUV while intoxicated, drove onto the sidewalk, and aimed his vehicle directly at the group, killing the teenager and severely injuring her mother.”
Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Aloise continued remand, holding Cruz Gomez in custody without bail, and ordered him to return to court on Dec. 2. If convicted, the defendant faces up to 27 ⅓ years to life in prison.
“This was a completely preventable tragedy, and our condolences are with the family and friends of Jhoanny as they continue to mourn her senseless loss,” Katz said.
