Driver arrested after 16-year-old girl struck, killed by vehicle in Queens

Sunday, September 14, 2025
QUEENS (WABC) -- Police have arrested a driver they say struck and killed a 16-year-old girl with his vehicle and injured her mother in Queens on Saturday.

It happened just after 4 a.m. along Benham Street and Roosevelt Avenue.

Investigators say the teen, identified as Jhoanny Gomez-Alvarez, was with a group of people at the location when she got into an argument with 38-year-old Edwin Cruz Gomez, the driver of a 2009 Chevy Suburban.

Police say Cruz Gomez, of Uniondale, got into his SUV, jumped the sidewalk, and intentionally struck the teen and a 32-year-old woman, who police say is Gomez-Alvarez's mother.

Cruz Gomez then turned down Benham Street and crashed into a parked vehicle, investigators said.



Gomez-Alvarez was pronounced dead at the scene. Her mother was taken to Elmhurst Hospital in stable condition.

Cruz Gomez was arrested and charged with murder, attempted murder, and other charges.



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