Shocking video shows moment NYC drunken maniac driver mows down girl, 16, who rejected his lewd advances
By Amanda Woods,Joe Marino
Copyright nypost
Horrifying social media videos show the moment a maniac Queens driver mowed down a 16-year-old girl who rejected his lewd advances over the weekend – and the violent brawl that erupted between the drunken motorist and the victim’s stepfather just moments earlier.
One of the startling clips shows slain teen Jhoanny Gomez-Alvarez crossing the intersection of Roosevelt Avenue and 91st Street in Elmhurst with her 32-year-old mom, her boyfriend and stepfather early Saturday, when Edwin Cruz-Gomez, 38, allegedly whipped around the corner in a gray Chevy Suburban.
Cruz-Gomez – who authorities later revealed was “extremely intoxicated” and had a suspended license – is captured on video driving up on the sidewalk and plowing directly into an unsuspecting Gomez-Alvarez, fatally pinning the teen against a pole.
The disturbing footage — which appears to have since been pulled from TikTok — shows the teen’s relatives banging on the maniac motorist’s car windows, before he eventually backed away and drove off in the wrong-way on a one-way street, authorities said.
“The 16-year-old was hit so hard that she was impaled,” Assistant District Attorney Abigail Neumiller said during Cruz-Gomez’s arraignment in Queens Criminal Court Sunday night.
The heartbreaking clip shows the teen’s mother kneeling at her daughter’s side on the ground, crying, “Mija!” Spanish for “my daughter.”
She was pronounced dead at the scene by EMS.
Her mother sustained injuries to her leg and was taken to the Elmhurst Hospital Center, where she was listed in stable condition.
The fatal crash was a tragic end to a melee that first broke out in front of the nearby Prima Donna restaurant, prosecutors said.
Gomez-Alvarez was leaving the eatery with her relatives when Cruz-Gomez began to sexually harass her and her mother, Neumiller said in court.
Cruz-Gomez, with a group of several other men present, allegedly began to make statements such as “I want to have sex with you” and “If I gave you money, will you have sex with me?” Neumiller told the courtroom.
The lewd statements sparked a brawl with Gomez-Alvarez’s stepfather, prosecutors said.
A video of that clash, also posted on TikTok, shows the two men grappling on the ground – with the stepfather raining punches down – as Cruz-Gomez’s sneaker came off during the chaos.
When bystanders finally stepped in, the family walked off before Cruz-Gomez – wearing a Louis Vuitton jacket – put his sneaker back on and headed toward his vehicle.
Cruz-Gomez later told authorities that the family “beat me up over there,” according to prosecutors.
“It happened over here,” he allegedly said about the encounter. “Listen, I am not going to jail. They beat me up outside this bar because I said something about a girl.”
“Her boyfriend beat me up. I was talking to a guy about meeting girls. I may have said the wrong thing. I was upset. She was saying, ‘No fighting,’” he continued.
“I don’t know her. I got in my car. I followed them. I crashed my car into a pole. I was going 25 miles an hour. I don’t have a license. Did I kill her?”
Cruz-Gomez was hit with a slew of charges, including second-degree murder, three counts of attempted murder in the second degree, two counts of assault in the second degree, vehicular manslaughter in the second degree, and other driving under the influence-related charges during the court hearing.
He was ordered held without bail, with his next court date set for Friday.
If convicted, Cruz-Gomez faces up to 25 years to life in prison.