In a tragic and infuriating case that’s reigniting debate over immigration enforcement and public safety, a 16-year-old girl is dead and three others injured after an illegal immigrant with a lengthy criminal record allegedly mowed them down on a Queens sidewalk.
The suspect, 38-year-old Edwin Cruz-Gomez, a Honduran national who had previously been deported, now faces murder charges after allegedly killing Jhoanny Alvarez, a teenage girl from Queens, in a violent, alcohol-fueled attack early Saturday morning.
A Confrontation Turns Deadly
According to Queens prosecutors, the deadly incident began when Cruz-Gomez made unwanted sexual advances toward Alvarez and her mother outside a restaurant in Elmhurst. The crude remarks escalated into a verbal and physical confrontation that involved Alvarez’s boyfriend and stepfather.
In the aftermath of the altercation, Cruz-Gomez allegedly got into his 2009 Chevy Suburban, intentionally drove onto the sidewalk, and struck three of the four family members — including Jhoanny — in what authorities are calling a deliberate act of violence.
Alvarez, just 16 years old, was pronounced dead at the scene.
A History of Lawlessness — and Government Failure
The case has prompted widespread outrage not just because of its brutality, but because Cruz-Gomez should never have been on the streets in the first place.
According to an ICE source speaking to Fox News, Cruz-Gomez was deported from the U.S. in 2005. But he illegally re-entered the country just a year later — and despite numerous arrests, including multiple DUIs, possession of forged documents, and driving without a license, he continued to walk free.
- 2013: Arrested for DUI and detained by ICE
- 2024: Arrested for possession of a forged instrument — no deportation action taken
- One month later: Convicted of driving without a license, sentenced to five days
- January 2025: Arrested for another DUI and released
- September 2025: Arrested for murder after allegedly killing Jhoanny Alvarez
Cruz-Gomez was once enrolled in ICE’s Alternatives to Detention program during the Obama administration — designed to track immigration offenders outside custody — but authorities later lost track of him. An ICE detainer has finally been issued following Saturday’s deadly crash, but for Alvarez’s family, that action comes far too late.
Alcohol and Intent
Prosecutors say Cruz-Gomez’s blood alcohol content was twice the legal limit even four hours after the crash. He is now charged with one count of second-degree murder, three counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault and one count of vehicular manslaughter.
If convicted on the top murder charge, he faces up to 25 years in prison.
Political and Public Backlash
Immigration policy hawks argue that this case underscores the deadly consequences of lax enforcement and politically motivated immigration priorities.
Sources told Fox News that ICE officials declined to pursue Cruz-Gomez after his 2024 arrest, citing internal guidance that deprioritized deportations — an approach tied to the Biden administration’s broader immigration stance.
A Broken System
For Jhoanny Alvarez and her grieving family, the consequences of bureaucratic failure and policy negligence have proven fatal. A teenage girl lost her life, not in a tragic accident, but in a preventable act of violence at the hands of someone who had no legal right to be in the country — and no shortage of red flags.
As the legal process unfolds, the case is likely to fuel further scrutiny of permissive enforcement practices and sanctuary jurisdictions.
For now, one question hangs over this tragedy: How many repeat offenders did the Biden administration allow into the country — and will the Trump administration succeed in removing them?
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How much more do we American citizens have to endure of this heinous BS before the Government starts issuing Letters of Marque and Reprisal to us so we can deal with it directly?
I assume they will let him go. Again. Put him on that “Alternatives” program. Again. Lose track of him, again. It’s the right thing to do. Keep on doing the same thing over and over again. Eventually, it may work.
Illegals (Lie-beral Demonocrats) love their partners-in-crime, illegal aliens. The Love Of Money rules.