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She’s not quitting.
The young woman who was driving alone on the Belt Parkway in Queens when another vehicle abruptly cut her off and then reversed into her car in an apparent attempt at insurance fraud is seeking justice after her dashcam recorded the entire chaotic incident.
Ashpia Natasha is certain she was the target of insurance fraudsters last Wednesday as her car approached the Southern State Parkway near Valley Stream. She says her insurance company has assured her that it will cover the $8,000 in damages to her 2019 Acura RDX “because the video clearly shows that I was not at fault.”
However, she has gone to the New York City police four times in the last five days, and reports that “they can’t give us a definitive answer right now” regarding whether they are investigating the incident.
“As far as pressing charges at this point, we are going to have to contact some lawyers,” Natasha says in a follow-up video posted on TikTok late Sunday night.
It was on Friday that Natasha first shared videos of the incident that were captured by the dash and rear cams inside her vehicle. The dashcam video clearly shows a Honda Civic full of passengers cutting her off on the Belt Parkway about 11 a.m., as she approaches the parkway’s east end, where it forks off into the Southern State and Cross Island parkways. The video further shows the Civic come to a full stop, before popping the car into reverse and slamming backward into Natasha’s front bumper.
Within seconds, four people emerge from the Civic. Three of them are holding their heads and appear bewildered as they mill about in front of Natasha’s car; the fourth individual slips away toward a waiting red Kia fan that had immediately pulled up and stopped in front of the wreck.
Second scam video surfaces
“The more exposure this video gets, the better chance we have at finding out who these people are,” Natasha of Queens says in her Sunday night TikTok post. “Just earlier today we saw that someone had posted a video of another incident that happened. This incident occurred back in August … What’s consistent in both my accident and this person’s accident is that the red Kia is involved, as well as the guy who doesn’t turn around gets out of the passenger seat.”
That video, posted on Sunday and featured below, shows a Honda Civic cutting off a female driver in the right lane of what appears to be the Belt Parkway. Like the incident involving Natasha, four people exit the Civic immediately after the wreck.
Three approach the vehicle that has a dashcam, while the fourth person, a man, walks toward a waiting red Kia van that had pulled up right after the crash and stopped in front of it. Click below to watch the video.
A national story
Natasha’s first video has gone absolutely viral, with 62.3 million views as of 2 p.m. on Monday. And her TikTok account has ballooned to 93,500 followers. Meanwhile, the incident she was involved in has gained attention from national media outlets, such as ABC News.
Natasha noted the media attention in her latest TikTok post: “On the bright side, we have also been speaking to some news channels who are willing to broadcast our video.”
Commenters on Natasha’s videos regarding the crash have continued to encourage her to press on in her quest for justice.
“Please consult an attorney; don’t let this go so easy,” says one commenter, “this was so messed up and someone could’ve gotten seriously hurt.”
‘What the …’
Below is the video of the Wednesday, Oct. 16, incident, captured on Natasha’s dashcam. She was talking with her boyfriend, on the phone over the car speakers, when the crash occurred. A clearly shocked Natasha is heard saying, “Oh my God, what the fuh?” as the Civic cuts her off, and then “Oh my God, what is he doing?” as the Civic slams backward into her car.
Her boyfriend, still on the line, exclaims, “Babe, what happened?”
Greater Long Island contacted New York City police via telephone and email for comment regarding the incident, but the police had not replied by the time this report was published.
Prior coverage
Top images: Asphia Natasha (inset, via TikTok) and the scene of the Oct. 16 crash on the Belt Parkway (TikTok still image).
