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A Brooklyn man has been charged in connection with an alleged insurance scam that played out in a dramatic crash on the Belt Parkway at the Nassau County border last month, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said Friday.
The seemingly staged collision in Rosedale near Valley Stream was captured on dashcam footage and widely shared online, drawing national attention to suspected “crash-for-cash” schemes in New York.
Maikel Martinez, 28, of Dyker Heights was arraigned in Queens court Thursday night on charges relating to the staged Oct. 16 collision, Katz said.
According to the charges, Ashpia Natasha was driving her Acura RDX in the left lane of the Belt Parkway about 11:11 a.m. when a silver Honda Civic abruptly cut in front of her and forced her to brake to avoid a collision. About two seconds later, the Civic reversed directly into Natasha’s vehicle.
Katz noted that the four Civic occupants, immediately after the collision, held up what appeared to be a plastic tarp inside the car to obscure their movements from Natasha and her dashcam. The prosecutor explained that three of the Civic’s occupants exited the car and walked toward Natasha’s car, with Martinez identifying himself to Natasha as “Maikel Martinez” and saying he was married to the supposed driver.
Meanwhile, the fourth suspect got into a red Kia that had been following closely behind and had pulled up in front of the wreck, the district attorney said. The Kia then drove away as Martinez and the two other Civic occupants (both are women) are seen in the Natasha’s dashcam video milling about, appearing bewildered and surveying the damage.
“The defendant and others allegedly staged a crash on a busy highway and rammed an unsuspecting driver with their vehicle after they forcibly stopped her in the left lane of the Belt Parkway,” Katz said. “Countless lives were jeopardized due to this incredibly reckless conduct.”
Ongoing investigation
@ashpianatasha4 Insurance fraud attempt in Queens, NY 10-16-2024 PART 1 I was driving in the left lane of the Belt Parkway going East bound towards the Southern State Parkway. The silver Honda (LBB 8917) was in the middle lane, and they cut me off and slammed on the brakes coming to a full stop hoping I would hit them. I did not hit their car and because of that they reversed into my car for collision and acted as if they were injured while coming out of their vehicle. I believe the intention was to say I hit their car for insurance fraud purposes. They had a tarp covering the rear windshield which fell off once they hit my car. You can see the driver is a male wearing a hat and you can see him switching to the passenger seat as well as the movement of the car before anyone gets out. The first three passengers exit the car pretending to be hurt, while the fourth passenger who was driving slips out through the passenger seat and gets into a second vehicle. That second vehicle was a red KIA SUV (KJH 3340) which was following me from behind and keeping distance so they wouldn't slam into me. The red KIA drove around and picked up the driver to get away. The remaining three people’s demeanor changed once one of them noticed the dashcam. They only came out of the car with their phones ready to record the damage to both cars. They were quick to ask for my insurance and quickly left after the exchange. I called the police at the time of the incident and reported it as an accident, and the police told me they no longer go to an accident if no one is injured and they are willing to exchange information. I did not realize at the time that the driver switched and left in another car or that it was a set-up as I was driving by myself, and everything happened so fast. #queensny #car #caraccident #exposed #newyork #brooklynny @nbcnews @abcnews @nypd @geico @allstate @pix11ny ♬ original sound – Ashpia Natasha
The prosecutor stressed that the investigation “is very much ongoing” and she encourage anyone who suspects that they may have been a victim in a staged car crash to call the NYPD Office of Fraudulent Collision Investigation Squad at 718.822.5403.
Martinez was nabbed Thursday after arriving on a flight from Ecuador. He is charged with second-degree staging a motor vehicle accident, third-degree criminal mischief, first-degree reckless endangerment, fifth-degree conspiracy, and fifth-degree insurance fraud.
If convicted, he could face up to seven years in prison. His next court date is set for Jan. 7, 2025
Victim’s ‘happy’ reaction
@ashpianatasha4 Insurance fraud attempt in Queens, NY 10-16-2024 ARREST UPDATE 10/08/2024 #queensny #brooklynny #caraccident #exposed #newyork #pix11news #eyewitness @Nextbase @nbcnews @ABC News @New York City Police Dept. @GEICO ♬ original sound – Ashpia Natasha
Natasha, seated in her car, expressed her thanks to the NYPD and other authorities in a Tik Tok video she recorded on Friday using the cabin view of her dashcam.
“I’m just really happy right now. This is really, really good news,” she said, while urging others who may have been victims of the same scam to come forward and report their experiences to the police. “If anyone doesn’t have a dashcam, I highly encourage you to get one.”
Social media sleuthing
The case first gained widespread attention after Natasha shared dashcam footage of the crash on TikTok, sparking outrage and curiosity among viewers.
In the video, Natasha’s vehicle is seen slowing down after the Honda Civic swerves abruptly in front of her, then reverses and strikes her car. Three of the Civic’s occupants emerge, visibly clutching their heads and using their phones.
The occupant authorities have identified as Martinez even glances directly into Natasha’s dashcam. Natasha is meanwhile heard placing a phone call to the police.
The dashcam video sparked a search for the Honda Civic, with amateur sleuths tracking it down on social media. They identified a parked silver Honda Civic with body damage consistent with the crash and a matching license plate in Dyker Heights.
Videos and photos of the parked Civic were posted to social media. And within days the car was photographed park in front of a NYPD station in Brooklyn.
Natasha said her insurance company agreed to cover the $8,000 in damages to her car.
Prior Belt Parkway scam coverage
Greater Long Island’s coverage of the alleged insurance fraud attempt on the Belt Parkway began on Oct. 19.
Subsequent coverage included a report on internet sleuths tracking down the Honda. Civic involved in the alleged scam to Dyker Heights, Brooklyn.
Top image: Tik Tok video still/Ashpia Natasha
