Press Release
CORONA MAN CHARGED WITH RAPE AND KIDNAPPING FOR ATTACK ON 13-YEAR-OLD IN KISSENA PARK
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Christian Inga was charged today with first-degree rape, two counts of kidnapping in the second degree, predatory sexual assault and other crimes for attacking two 13-year-olds who were in Kissena Park in the middle of the afternoon on June 13. He is alleged to have held them at knifepoint in a wooded area where he tied the hands of the boy and girl together, and then raped the girl.
District Attorney Melinda Katz said: “This attack on two children in broad daylight in a city park strikes the very core of our society. According to the complaint, this defendant confronted the boy and girl, tied the children to one another, gagged them and then raped the girl before fleeing the park. Thank you to the brave victims for coming forward and the NYPD for its quick action in apprehending the defendant who will now face justice in our courts.”
Inga, 25, of Waldron Street, was arraigned on a complaint charging him with predatory sexual assault, rape in the first degree, two counts of kidnapping in the second degree, two counts of robbery in the first degree, rape in the second degree, sexual abuse in the first degree, obstructing governmental administration and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
If convicted, he faces up to 25 to life in prison. The defendant was remanded. Criminal Court Judge Joanne Watters ordered him back to court on July 1.
According to the charges:
- On June 13, at approximately 3:30 p.m., a boy and girl, both 13 years old, were approached by Inga inside Kissena Park in Flushing.
- He brandished a long-bladed knife or machete.
- He tied the children to one another and gagged them with pieces of cloth.
- He forcibly took the cellphones from both teens and raped the girl.
- He then fled the park.
The investigation was conducted by Detective George Allen and other members of the Queens Special Victims Squad.
Assistant District Attorney Kasey Esposito of the District Attorney’s Special Victims Bureau is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Eric C. Rosenbaum, Bureau Chief, Debra Lynn Pomodore and Brian Hughes, Deputy Bureau Chiefs, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Special Prosecutions Joyce Smith.
**Criminal complaints and indictments are accusations. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.