New York residents help arrest Ecuadorian migrant accused of raping 13-year-old girl

An Ecuadorian migrant who allegedly raped a 13-year-old girl in New York City was arrested Tuesday after numerous tips from locals helped find and identify the suspect.

The suspect, identified as 25-year-old Christian Geovanny Inga-Landi, attacked the teenager and threatened another teenager with a knife last week. He has been charged with rape and kidnapping, according to the New York Post.

The arrest came after New York police released photos and videos of Inga-Landi, as well as a sketch of the man. His identity was confirmed by locals, in part because of a large wild boar tattoo on his chest.

“We received tips that identified the perpetrator by name, so they knew who he was,” NYPD Chief of Criminal Investigation Joseph Kenny said during a press conference. “One of the tips we actually received was from a landlord who said the man had come to his building about two weeks earlier and tried to rent the room.”

Law enforcement officials alleged that Inga-Landi entered the country illegally and was arrested by Customs and Border Protection agents in Eagle Pass, Texas in 2021. However, he was later released back into the country and went to Queens in New York City. He was never arrested by the NYPD, but did encounter police officers during a domestic violence dispute and received three summonses.

Kenny said locals from the Queens neighborhood where the rape occurred subdued him on Tuesday morning. The crimes all took place in broad daylight in a local park, causing widespread tension in the area.

“The offender, after waiving his Miranda rights, made statements in which he stated that he had a drug problem, that he found the knife he used to threaten the two teenagers, and that this was the first time he had done anything like this,” Kenny said. “He identified himself on the video that was shown to him.”

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter at Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.