Migrant allegedly gagged teens before raping girl, 13, in Queens park

Editor's note: Video originally aired on June 18, 2024.

QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) --- The migrant accused of raping a 13-year-old girl at knifepoint allegedly shoved a bandana in her mouth before ripping her clothes off and attacking her in a Queens park, prosecutors said.

Christian Inga, 25, also allegedly gagged a 13-year-old boy and robbed both teens after sexually assaulting the girl in the wooded area in Kissena Park on June 13, according to the criminal complaint.

Inga allegedly admitted to the sequence of events, including tying both teens' wrists together with a shoelace after threatening them with a machete-like knife, authorities said.

The suspect was arraigned Wednesday on charges of rape, sex abuse, predatory sexual assault robbery, kidnapping, and unlawful imprisonment. He is due back in court on July 1. He faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

“This attack on two children in broad daylight in a city park strikes the very core of our society," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.

Inga, who is from Ecuador, was apprehended near 108th Street and Waldron Street in Queens around 1:10 a.m. Tuesday after police acted on a 911 tip, according to the NYPD. Bystanders held him down until cops arrived at the scene. Inga fought back, but the good Samaritans overpowered him, possibly using a belt to detain him, police said.

The neighbors recognized Inga from the wanted poster and waited for him at a local bodega, they said. When he got there, they all “sprung into action” and grabbed the suspect, police said. One of the neighbors then pulled Inga out of the bodega and onto the street before calling the police.

“I can explain. Please let me go back to my country. . .  I can explain!” the suspect allegedly told the neighbors, according to witnesses.

The suspect approached the teens on a field in Kissena Park near Colden Street and Kalmia Avenue around 3 p.m. and told them to follow him into the woods, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny.

Inga then allegedly tied their hands together with a shoelace, gagged them, and ripped the girl's clothes off before sexually assaulting her, according to court documents.

Inga allegedly stole the victims’ phones and told them to wait for 20 minutes before he fled the scene with the knife, according to authorities. The victims, who were classmates, returned to their school to report the attack.

“These victims gave crucial information that was needed to make this arrest,” Kenny said.

The suspect told police he had a drug problem and found the knife he used to threaten the teens, Kenny said. He also identified himself in video surveillance that was shown to him.

“He said this was the first time he had ever done anything like this,” Kenny said.

Inga entered the United States in 2021 with a 3-year-old child. He was arrested in Texas for entering the country illegally before he was released pending a court appearance, police said. He was living on 108th Street near the scene where he was apprehended, police said.

“A violent criminal has been taken off our streets,” NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said.

Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.