Horrifying social media movies present the second a maniac Queens driver mowed down a 16-year-old woman who rejected his lewd advances over the weekend – and the violent brawl that erupted between the drunken motorist and the sufferer’s stepfather simply moments earlier.
One of many startling clips reveals slain teen Jhoanny Gomez-Alvarez crossing the intersection of Roosevelt Avenue and 91st Road in Elmhurst along with her 32-year-old mother, her boyfriend and stepfather early Saturday, when Edwin Cruz-Gomez, 38, allegedly whipped across the nook in a grey Chevy Suburban.
Cruz-Gomez – who authorities later revealed was “extraordinarily intoxicated” and had a suspended license – is captured on video driving up on the sidewalk and plowing immediately into an unsuspecting Gomez-Alvarez, fatally pinning the teenager towards a pole.
The disturbing footage — which seems to have since been pulled from TikTok — reveals the teenager’s family banging on the maniac motorist’s automotive home windows, earlier than he ultimately backed away and drove off within the wrong-way on a one-way avenue, authorities stated.
“The 16-year-old was hit so laborious that she was impaled,” Assistant District Legal professional Abigail Neumiller stated throughout Cruz-Gomez’s arraignment in Queens Prison Court docket Sunday night time.
The heartbreaking clip reveals the teenager’s mom kneeling at her daughter’s aspect on the bottom, crying, “Mija!” Spanish for “my daughter.”
She was pronounced useless on the scene by EMS.
Her mom sustained accidents to her leg and was taken to the Elmhurst Hospital Heart, the place she was listed in secure situation.
The deadly crash was a tragic finish to a melee that first broke out in entrance of the close by Prima Donna restaurant, prosecutors stated.
Gomez-Alvarez was leaving the eatery along with her family when Cruz-Gomez started to sexually harass her and her mom, Neumiller stated in court docket.
Cruz-Gomez, with a gaggle of a number of different males current, allegedly started to make statements corresponding to “I wish to have intercourse with you” and “If I gave you cash, will you will have intercourse with me?” Neumiller advised the courtroom.
The lewd statements sparked a brawl with Gomez-Alvarez’s stepfather, prosecutors stated.
A video of that conflict, additionally posted on TikTok, reveals the 2 males grappling on the bottom – with the stepfather raining punches down – as Cruz-Gomez’s sneaker got here off in the course of the chaos.
When bystanders lastly stepped in, the household walked off earlier than Cruz-Gomez – carrying a Louis Vuitton jacket – put his sneaker again on and headed towards his car.
Cruz-Gomez later advised authorities that the household “beat me up over there,” in response to prosecutors.
“It occurred over right here,” he allegedly stated concerning the encounter. “Pay attention, I’m not going to jail. They beat me up outdoors this bar as a result of I stated one thing a couple of woman.”
“Her boyfriend beat me up. I used to be speaking to a man about assembly women. I’ll have stated the mistaken factor. I used to be upset. She was saying, ‘No preventing,’” he continued.
“I don’t know her. I received in my automotive. I adopted them. I crashed my automotive right into a pole. I used to be going 25 miles an hour. I don’t have a license. Did I kill her?”
Cruz-Gomez was hit with a slew of costs, together with second-degree homicide, three counts of tried homicide within the second diploma, two counts of assault within the second diploma, vehicular manslaughter within the second diploma, and different driving underneath the influence-related costs in the course of the court docket listening to.
He was ordered held with out bail, together with his subsequent court docket date set for Friday.
If convicted, Cruz-Gomez faces as much as 25 years to life in jail.
