A drunk driver is accused of hitting a 16-year-old girl on a sidewalk in Queens after she rejected his advances on Saturday night.
Edwin Cruz Gomez, 38, was reportedly driving a 2009 Chevy Suburban with a suspended license when he struck Jomes Alvarez following a confrontation involving her boyfriend, mother, and a friend outside a bar in Elmhurst.
This incident marked his first arrest of the year, according to court records.
Cruz Gomez had previously had his license suspended after an incident on January 26. Just six months later, he was again caught speeding and driving on that same revoked license in Nassau County.
Despite his history, sources say Cruz Gomez was intoxicated and sitting outside a bar around 4 a.m. when the group walked past. An altercation reportedly ensued after he allegedly made inappropriate remarks towards the teenagers.
Additional reports indicate that he then got behind the wheel of his vehicle and hit the group on the sidewalk, with Jomes being pinned against a pillar.
Cruz Gomez is also accused of colliding with Jomes’s 32-year-old mother and hitting a parked car while trying to flee the scene.
Tragically, Jomes died at the scene, while her mother was taken to Elmhurst Hospital where she is reportedly in stable condition.
Surveillance footage captured Jomes leaving her home with friends just hours before the incident, making the loss even more heartbreaking. “It’s hard to see her alive in that video knowing she died six hours later,” a family member remarked. “A young woman with so much life ahead of her.”
Cruz Gomez now faces serious charges including murder, attempted murder, assault, vehicular manslaughter, and operating a vehicle while intoxicated and unlicensed. Authorities noted that his blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit.
After his arrest, Cruz Gomez was taken to the hospital, and by Sunday afternoon, his arrest was still pending.
