A 25-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the violent child sexual attack that has terrorized New York City's Queens community for days and shocked New Yorkers throughout the city, police said Tuesday.
The man, identified by police as Christian Inga, was taken into custody at 108th and Waldron Street, less than three miles from the park where officials allege he ambushed two 13-year-olds in a field after school Thursday, forced them into the woods at knifepoint and tied them up before sexually assaulting the girl.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a press conference on Tuesday that he entered the U.S. from Ecuador through Eagle Pass, Texas, on June 25, 2021. People living with him at a rooming house recognized him from the NYPD wanted posters.
Jeffrey Flores told NBC New York he recognized Inga after police released a sketch and video of him on a bike. Flores decided to take some friends to wait at a bodega on 108th and Waldon streets the suspect frequents for cigarettes and drinks. Another man said they waited for Inga for hours.
He eventually showed up in the middle of the night.
“I told everybody yo this the rapist. I punched him. I kicked him. I ain’t gonna lie,” said Flores.
They started attacking him, sources said, and called 911 to say, “Come get him.”
“He started yelling ‘help, help’ in Spanish. I was like ‘Yeah that’s what the little girl was saying,’” said Flores. “He really try to run, run, run for his life but he couldn’t.”
Flores says he put Inga in a headlock and tied his legs together with a belt. He said the man didn’t deny the sexual assault allegations, a statement corroborated by a bodega worker in the store at the time.
“Yeah he admitted to it. He said, ‘Alright, alright, fine, fine. Just leave me alone, don’t hit me, don’t hit me,’” Flores told NBC New York.
At one point, Flores says the man tried to hide underneath a car — until officers arrived and took him into custody.
“We don’t have confirmation of that,” Kenny said. “We are hearing that possibly they may have used a belt to try to hold his feet together to keep him from running away.”
Kenny also said Inga waived his Miranda rights and “indicated he had a drug problem.” He also said he found the knife used in the alleged attack, and “that this was the first time he’s ever done anything like this.”
Hailed a neighborhood hero, Flores says he felt the need to apprehend Inga because he has two sisters and a baby girl on the way.
“Feels good, I did something good for New York City. That’s one less guy off the streets,” said Flores. “We was lucky enough to see him, that’s crazy. It’s not everyday you just catch a rapist.”
Inga, a father of two, is being charged with rape, robbery, sexual assault, kidnapping, endangering child welfare and other counts.
Multiple high-level NYPD officials had pleaded with the public Friday for help identifying the tattooed stranger they say forced the schoolmates into the woods. They had offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Police thanked the community for helping identify the suspect.
“This is exactly what we mean when talk about public safety is a shared responsibility,” said NYPD Commissioner Edward Cabán. “The past few days proved to the world again that the people in this city can come together and get the job done like no one else.”
According to investigators, the boy and girl were on a field in Kissena Park around 3 p.m., just after school let out for the day, when a curly-haired man with braces walked up and demanded they follow him into the woods. When they refused, police say he pulled out a “large machete-style knife” and forced them into an isolated area, where he bound each of their wrists with a shoelace. Then he sexually assaulted the 13-year-old girl.
The kids told cops the man warned them to stay where they were for 20 minutes. He then ran off with their phones. Once time was up, they returned to school and told administrators what happened. They called 911 immediately.
Cabán also said the victims gave “crucial” information that was needed to make the arrest.
The children were taken to a hospital in stable condition.
A shoelace, possibly the one used to tie the children’s wrists, was recovered at the scene.
Police said Inga had no prior arrests in New York City but did have one arrest in Texas.
Myles Miller, NBC New York
Myles Miller is a reporter for NBC New York.
Jennifer Millman, NBC New York
Jennifer Millman is a managing editor for NBC New York.
Melissa Colorado, NBC New York
Melissa Colorado is a reporter for NBC New York.
