Horror in New York: he locked up his three-year-old daughter in the car and burned her alive to avenge her ex

The New York police arrested a man who had locked up his three-year-old daughter in her car and burned her alive to take revenge on her ex-partner, with whom she had challenged the girl's custody.

The event occurred on May 5, near Queens Park. According to several witnesses, the 39-year-old man, identified as Martín Pereira, came out in flames from the vehicle and shouted, "My daughter is in the car." But instead of trying to take him out, he threw himself into a lake to extinguish the flames.

The authorities quickly discovered that it was not an accident, but everything had been planned in a millimetric way. The girl, named Zoey, was tied to her baby chair and the back doors were tied together with chains to prevent anyone from opening them. The car was sprayed with naphtha and in the trunk they found a carafe, the New York Post announced.

The emergency services took the girl to the hospital, where they could only confirm her death. The police found Pereira hidden in the vegetation of his underwear and also drove him to a medical center because he had been burned to the second degree on 70% of the body. Since then, he has been arrested for homicide.

The 39-year-old man had separated from his partner, Cherone Coleman, two months ago, after five years together and shortly before getting married. Both were fighting over the girl's custody and lodged a complaint for ill-treatment.

Police said a 3-year-old girl died at the hospital last night after being pulled from that burnt car in Queens. According to witnesses, his 39-year-old father was also on fire and rushed to a nearby pond. An investigation is underway at the NYPD. More details on @CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/7Nabntk11l

– Jenna DeAngelis (@jennamdeangelis) May 6, 2019

Shortly before committing the crime, Pereira warned the mother through a cousin who planned to kill his daughter and commit suicide. She called him right away and the communication left him cold. "I'm going to drive you crazy, you'll never see your daughter again," Pereira told him. In a state of panic, the police warned of what was happening. But it was already late.

"I always thought that he was going to hurt me," the woman told the Daily News. "But I never thought I was going to hurt my daughter."

"My daughter was perfect, she loved, she always smiled and she cared for others," said the mother with tears.

Source: TN

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