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A drunk driver who fatally mowed down a 16-year-old girl in Queens on Saturday is a previously deported Honduran illegal immigrant who had several prior DUI arrests, a senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) source told FOX.
Edwin Cruz Gomez, 38, was arrested by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) on Saturday and is charged with murder, three counts of attempted murder, and two counts of assault, and other crimes, after allegedly running down Jhoanny Gomez-Alvarez and her mother after they rejected his sexual advances, according to the source. An immigration detainer was lodged on Monday.
The teen was pronounced dead at the scene, and her mother is in stable condition.
Edwin Cruz Gomez is charged with murder in connection to the Queens hit-and-run.
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NYPD officers responded to the call just before 4:15 a.m. Saturday after a gray 2009 Chevy Suburban hit the pair and drove away, according to a report from affiliate FOX 5 New York.
Gomez allegedly later hit a parked car at the intersection of Roosevelt Avenue and Benham Street, according to the report.
The suspect was deported a decade before the alleged crime. (iStock)
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Gomez, who officials said was deported in 2005, was arrested for driving under the influence in April 2013 and detained by ICE Long Island.
Authorities served him with a Reinstatement of Deport Order, but he was released three months later under the Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program and disappeared.
Sources said Gomez was ignored by ICE during an October 2024 arrest for possession of a forged instrument because he didn’t meet Biden administration immigration enforcement priorities.
Authorities have lodged a detainer against the suspect, who is currently charged with murder. (Fox News)
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A month later, on Nov. 13, 2024, he was convicted in Nassau County of driving without a license and sentenced to five days behind bars. He was then released.
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Gomez was arrested again on Jan. 26 for driving under the influence and was released from custody before a detainer could be lodged.