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By: Hellen Zaboulani
Brooklyn drivers beware.
For the past three months at least, there has been a group of fraudsters deliberately causing car crashes in a bid to get petty payouts as part of an elaborate insurance fraud scheme. As reported by the NY Post, the group’s ringleader has been using the same getaway car to make a speedy escape. The plan includes using older cars and braking suddenly in front of unsuspecting vehicles on the belt parkway, to collect on insurance claims. The tattooed driver in these dangerous stunts has been seen switching seats with a passenger, before leaving in a second car, as the other occupants feign injury from the crash.
Video footage from Aug. 24 shows a silver Honda driving west on the parkway in Brooklyn where it suddenly slowed down, merged into the right lane, and then slammed on its brakes near Exit 15. The video, posted to Instagram, shows the chaotic scene where the cut-off driver could not brake in time and crashed into the Honda, but didn’t leave damage. Per the Post, the collision seemed to have been soft, leaving only little damage, but the Honda’s occupants slowly limped out of the car, complaining of a stiff back and neck injuries. The notorious crew of fraudsters has been caught on dashcam footage two more times since August, slamming on their brakes on the Belt Parkway while a red Kia SUV pulls up to the scene. A red Kia was also involved in another similar collision in October.
Per the Post, Ashpia Natasha said she fell victim to a similar incident when she was driving in the left lane of the parkway in Queens on Oct. 16, and a silver Honda Civic veered in front of her and slammed on its brakes. Natasha thankfully avoided crashing into the Honda, still the driver put their car in reverse, hitting Natasha’s front bumper. The back window was blacked out, but Natasha’s dash cam captured the moment when the driver swapped seats with another passenger. The other occupants slowly moved to inspect the “damage” and exchange information with their target, while the alleged driver — a man with tattoos on his legs — made his getaway getting into an SUV.
The driver with the tattoos is believed to be the ringleader of the crime crew. “He’s the head guy — he’s the guy who went out and recruited these other morons to be victims in his scam,” retired NYPD Detective Tom Burke told The Post. “That’s why he leaves the scene,” he continued. “He’s the main guy, he’s the one making the money. The other people are just idiots. You can’t make this stuff up.”
Another victim of a similar August crash said they confronted the passengers as to when they braked so suddenly. “Didn’t you see the car in front of me?” the person replied, as per an Instagram post. Dashcam video didn’t capture any car in front of the Honda.
Per the Post, the suspected Honda from the fake crash on Oct. 16 and similar instances, was identified in Borough Park, and was vandalized by a group of vigilantes. It was then towed to the NYPD 68th Precinct in Bay Ridge.
