7 On Your Side gets reimbursement for smash and dash of BMW caught on video

UPPER WEST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- Dashcam video captured a piece of construction equipment smash into a car on the Upper West Side before a worker dashed away with the tool.

Back in May, Alejandro Monsalve returned to his vehicle and found his beloved brand new M Series BMW's windshield smashed and the roof and hood were dented.

He didn't know how or what did it until he went to the dashcam footage which he had luckily set to roll for 8 hours: it got the smash and dash and a whole lot more.

You see a heavy tool landing, then moments later, his mounted dashcam camera captured something clutch -- the construction worker who dropped the drill bit sidles up to the car, takes a look around and then quickly snatches the tool.

"There was no note, nothing," Monsalve said.

He filed a police report and went to find the construction crew working 10 floors above the street.

He said after reaching the construction company owner, he was told to get an estimate and the company would pay for it. But when Monsalve sent his mechanic estimate, the contractor wouldn't pay it and said it was too high.

"He said 'oh we think you're doing fraud because it's too much money,'" Monsalve said.

He said he was offered $3,000 for what was estimated to cost between $10,000 and $15,000 to fix.

He turned it down and reluctantly filed a claim with his own insurance -- risking his premium going up and paying $1,000 out of pocket for a deductible. He said attempts to collect on his deductible went nowhere.

7 On Your Side contacted the construction company owner and sent him video of the incident. He admitted the guy in the video "did work for me" and apologized, confirming that the worker was fired for failing to report the incident and said "it was a shame."

Within hours, the contractor's insurer wired Monsalve the deductible right to his account.

"Thank you guys for everything, I always believe in what you guys do and this is proof!" he said.

The contractor said he never knew Monsalve hadn't been paid his deductible. His insurance company then said the guy who picked up his tool worked for a sub-contractor -- not their client.

Monsalve filed a complaint with the DOB -- it fined the construction company $5,000 for failure to report an accident and issued a partial stop work order. The violation has not been paid, but last week the company confirmed violating conditions were corrected.

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