A graphic video has captured the moments leading up to the death of 16-year-old Johanny Alvarez, whose life was cut short after she rejected a drunk man’s sexual advances.
The footage shows what prosecutors say was an intentional act of violence on Saturday in Queens, New York. The clip begins with a heated argument between Alvarez’s family and the man now accused of killing her. Seated with a group of associates, the suspect can be seen exchanging words with the family. At one point, a woman believed to be Alvarez’s mother tries to break up the dispute, but the situation quickly escalates.
The video cuts to the suspect on the ground after seemingly tussling with someone, and then he regains his footing. He walks towards his vehicle as the Alvarez family begins to leave. An SUV speeds toward the group, striking Alvarez and slamming her into a pole. The impact was so severe that her body appeared split in half. The clip ends with her mother and a relative screaming in anguish beside her lifeless body.
On Monday, Alvarez’s mother, Delgado Odraccir, went to the Brooklyn mortuary to identify her daughter’s remains. Overcome with grief, she collapsed and had to be carried out on a stretcher and taken to a local hospital.
Authorities allege the driver, 38-year-old Edwin Cruz Gomez, had made unwanted sexual advances toward Alvarez earlier in the night. After being confronted by her stepfather and boyfriend, prosecutors say Gomez retaliated by jumping the kerb and deliberately ramming his SUV into the family. Police later confirmed his blood alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit.
On social media, Odraccir shared her heartbreak: “She was a very happy girl. Everyone adored her for how humble and simple she was. She had no problems with anyone. She was a princess, and that heartless man took her away from me. We just want justice for my daughter. Please – that man has to pay for taking my daughter away from me – that man has to pay.”
Cruz Gomez has been charged with murder, attempted murder, assault, vehicular manslaughter, and driving under the influence. If convicted on the top charge, he faces up to 25 years in prison. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 19.
