NYPD Arrests Illegal Immigrant Suspected of Raping 13-Year-Old Girl

A police car drives through the Manhattan borough of New York City on Jan. 14, 2021. (File Photo/Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

An illegal immigrant from Ecuador has been arrested in New York City for the alleged rape of a 13-year-old girl, the New York Police Department (NYPD) said on June 18.

Police Commissioner Edward Caban announced at a June 18 news conference with Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny that they had arrested 25-year-old Christian Inga, charging him with rape, sexual abuse, first-degree robbery, menacing, unlawful imprisonment, kidnapping, endangering the welfare of a child, and possession of a weapon.

“A violent criminal has been taken off our streets,” he said.

Mr. Caban said the suspect allegedly raped the 13-year-old girl in Queens “in broad daylight” on June 13.

In an initial statement, the NYPD said on June 13 that the suspect approached a 13-year-old male and female at Kissena Park and brandished a knife. The suspect then directed them into a wooded area, where he took their cellphones and allegedly raped the 13-year-old female.

The suspect fled, and the two victims were treated at the hospital and reported to be in stable condition. After four days, the suspect was arrested after investigators received a tip on his location, Mr. Caban said.

“After further investigation, we are confident that the person who committed this terrible crime is now in custody,” he said.

Mr. Kenny said the suspect has no arrest history in New York City but does in Texas.

“Since his time in New York City, he’s been involved with the police department only three times, involving three summons, and one domestic violence incident in the 107th Precinct that did not require an arrest,” he said.

Mr. Kenny explained that forensic interviews were conducted with two victims who had “crucial information,” which led to a sketch that closely resembled the suspect.

“I’ll tell you right now that sketch was dead on,” he said.

Community Support

Video footage of the suspect on a bike was provided by a person in Queens, with numerous tips that made it easier to identify the suspect, he said.

Initially, it was community members who apprehended the suspect, Mr. Kenny said.

“At the time, the community was trying to hold the perpetrator waiting for the police,” Mr. Kenny said. “He fought with them, and the community still managed to hold on to him until we got there.”

The suspect waived his Miranda rights and told Special Victims Unit investigators that he found the knife he used to threaten two teens, that he had a drug problem, and that it was the first time he had ever committed a criminal act of this degree. The suspect identified himself as the person in the camera footage, he said.

The suspect also faces a second set of charges for his alleged assault on the 13-year-old male. Those charges are first-degree robbery, menacing, criminal possession of a weapon, unlawful imprisonment, kidnapping, and endangering the welfare of a child for the alleged assault of a male victim.

Illegal Border-Crossing

Mr. Kenny said the suspect entered the country with a 3-year-old child and was arrested in Texas for entering illegally in June 2021.

“When he did come into the country, the federal government did take fingerprints and DNA from him at the border, so that’s still being worked on,” he said.

Mr. Kenny says the NYPD is working to match its evidence with the federal government’s. The suspect’s path from Ecuador through Eagle Pass, Texas, is a common one taken by illegal immigrants, Mr. Kenny said.

In Eagle Pass, the suspect was arrested for crossing illegally, he added.

While detained and awaiting processing after his arrest, he was “let go,”  Mr. Kenny said, which he added is “consistent with migrant crossing.”