A tragic incident occurred on Saturday when a 16-year-old girl in Queens was fatally struck by a driver who has been identified as an illegal immigrant from Honduras, according to sources. Edwin Cruz Gomez, 38, has a history of DUI arrests and was arrested by the NYPD following the incident.
Gomez faces serious charges including murder, three counts of attempted murder, and two counts of assault. The girl was pronounced dead at the scene, while her mother remains in stable condition.
Reports indicate that Gomez crashed into a parked vehicle at the intersection of Roosevelt Avenue and Benham Street early that morning. Authorities responded to the scene around 4:15 AM.
Gomez was initially deported in 2005 and had been arrested for a DUI offense in April 2013. He was detained again later but was released under an Alternative to Detention program. It seems he vanished after that—sources claim that his interaction with ICE, following a later arrest for possession of forged materials, went ignored.
This situation highlights ongoing discussions around illegal immigration and public safety, especially in cases involving repeat offenders.
In a separate incident, just a month later, Gomez faced charges again for driving without a license, resulting in a brief jail sentence. He was again arrested for driving under the influence earlier this year, but it seems he managed to evade more serious consequences.
