Martin Pereira is the New York man accused of locking his three year old daughter into a car and then setting it on fire. The little girl, Zoey, was burned to death inside of his 2008 Audi on the night of Sunday, May 5. A passerby alerted police to the car, which was parked at 155th Street and Baisley Boulevard in Queens, New York. The New York Post reports that the car had been doused in gasoline and that there was a propane tank in the back seat, feeding more fuel to the fire. Pereira, 39, has been taken into custody and is being treated as the “prime suspect” in Zoey’s murder, although he has not been charged yet.
Pereira’s ex, Cherone Coleman, says she and Martin were locked in a bitter custody dispute and that he hurt their daughter as a way of hurting her. Here’s what you need to know about Martin Pereira:
1. Pereira Called His Ex & Said ‘You’re Never Going to See Your Daughter Again’
Martin Pereira and his ex, Cherone Coleman, were locked in a bitter custody dispute; Coleman now says she wishes that she’d never let him take their three year old daughter for the weekend. Coleman says that she should have defied the court’s visitation order and gone to jail instead of letting Zoey visit Martin for the weekend.
Coleman told reporters that Pereira took Zoey on Saturday, March 4. Almost immediately, he started calling her. When she didn’t pick up the phone, he called her relatives. On Sunday night, she says, he finally reached her on the phone. That’s when, she says, he asked her, “Do I have your attention now, b****? I got your attention now, b****. You’re never going to see your daughter again.”
Coleman called 911 in a panic and told them about the phone call. Later that night, police found 3 year old Zoey Pereira locked inside an Audi sedan that had been doused in gasoline and then set on fire. The car’s doors had been chained to each other. Zoey was rushed to the nearest hospital but did not survive. Her father, Martin Pereira, is being treated as the prime suspect in the case.
2. Pereira Took Zoey to Get Her Hair Done Hours Before Her Death in His Burning Car
On the morning of Sunday, May 5, Martin Pereira posted a photo of his daughter on Facebook. The photo shows little Zoey with freshly styled hair in what looks like a salon; she’s sitting in a salon chair with a bunch of balloons behind her. That evening, Martin called his ex, Cherone Coleman, and told her that she’d never see her daughter again. Police found three year old Zoey locked in a burning car which had been doused in gasoline and then set on fire. She was rushed to a nearby hospital but did not survive.
Martin Pereira’s Facebook page is full of pictures of himself with his daughter. The photos show Martin and Zoey clowning around, making silly faces and mugging for the camera. Pereira also has a lot of photos of himself with his ex, Cherone Coleman. Coleman fought hard to prevent Pereira from getting visitation rights and now says she wishes she’d defied the court order to allow him to take Zoey for the weekend.
3. Pereira Claimed His Ex Was a Drug Dealer Who Was Abusing Their Daughter
Cherone Coleman, Zoey’s mother, says that Pereira and his family repeatedly called child protective services and accused her of being an unfit mother. She says that on Saturday, after Pereira started his weekend visit with little Zoey, he brought Zoey to Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park. Pereira told hospital staff that Coleman was abusing their daughter, she said. “He was calling me a drug dealer and a drug addict,” Coleman said.
“He’s the fu—ing devil,” Coleman told the Daily News. “He’s the devil. His family is responsible too. They have called ACS on me so many times with so many lies.”
Coleman said that in recent weeks, Martin was beginning to seem unstable. The couple was locked in a tough custody battle and Coleman said she fought hard to prevent him from getting visitation rights. Against her wishes, a judge granted Pereira the right to weekend visits with his daughter, so Pereira picked up Zoey on Saturday.
On Sunday, Coleman says, Pereira called her up and told her that she would never see her daughter again. She said he asked her, “Do I have your attention now, b****? I got your attention now, b****. You’re never going to see your daughter again.” On Sunday night, police found 3 year old Zoey Pereira locked inside an Audi sedan that had been doused in gasoline and then set on fire. Zoey was rushed to the nearest hospital but did not survive. Her father, Martin Pereira, is being treated as the prime suspect in the case.
4. Pereira Went to High School in Guyana & Worked in Construction in NYC
Pereira’s Facebook page says that he attended Patentia Secondary School in West Demerrara, Guyana.
The Facebook page also says that Pereira, 39, worked at South East Construction Group in New York City. Pereira’s three year old daughter, Zoey, was found locked into his burning car near a park in Queens, New York on Sunday night. The car had been doused in gasoline and then set on fire. Pereira is being treated as the prime suspect in the case.
5. Police Were Able to Find Pereira Because His Clothes Were on Fire
The New York Post reported that Pereira tried to flee from police and hide in a local park, Bailey Park Pond, as Zoey Pereira burned to death in a car. Pereira is accused to strapping Zoey into her car seat and then chaining the car doors to each other. He allegedly then doused the Audi in gasoline and set the car on fire. The New York Post reports that a propane tank in the back seat was set up to feed the flames.
The Post reported that police were able to locate Pereira because he was burning. “The only reason [cops] found him was that a piece of his clothing was on fire. He was stripped down to his underwear,” the source said and added that Pereira was trying to hide from police.