Brooklyn man arrested, accused of staging viral crash on Belt Parkway
ROSEDALE, Queens (WABC) -- The occupant of a car that purposefully backed into another driver along the Belt Parkway last month has been charged with staging a motor vehicle accident and other crimes.
The accident was caught on Ashpia Natasha's dash camera and viewed tens of millions of times.
Maikel Martinez was in the car that allegedly cut off another driver on the Belt Parkway, forcing that driver to come to a stop. The car the defendant was in then reversed into the victim's car.
"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. Countless lives were jeopardized due to this incredibly reckless conduct," Queens DA Melinda Katz said.
Martinez, 28, of Dyker Heights, was arraigned Thursday night on charges of staging a motor vehicle accident, criminal mischief, reckless endangerment, conspiracy and insurance fraud. He pleaded not guilty and must return to court January 7. If convicted, he faces up to 2 1/3 years to seven years in prison.
RELATED | NYPD investigating viral Belt Parkway crash as possible insurance fraud
According to the charges, on October 16, 2024, at approximately 11:11 a.m., Natasha was driving north in the left lane of the Belt Parkway in Rosedale near the Nassau County border. The woman's vehicle was equipped with both a front and rear dashboard camera.
The silver Honda Civic cut in front of Natasha's vehicle and then came to a stop. The victim was forced to step on her brakes to avoid a collision. The Honda then quickly backed into Natasha's vehicle, damaging both her car and the Honda. The occupants of the Honda held up what appeared to be a plastic tarp in the rear window area of the car that partially obstructed the victim driver's view inside the Honda, and the occupants of the vehicle switched their seating arrangement within the Honda.
After the collision, four people exited the car including a woman who got out of the driver's side and a man who identified himself as Maikel Martinez and said the purported driver was his wife. Another woman and man who exited the vehicle are presently unidentified.
The footage surrounding the crash showed a red Kia Sport following Natasha's car. After the crash, the Kia stopped in front of the Honda and the fourth occupant of the Honda exited that car and entered the Kia, which then left the scene.
Katz is asking any who suspects they were a victim of a staged car crash to call the NYPD Office of Fraudulent Collision Investigation Squad at 718-822-5403 of the Queens DA Consumer Fraud Helpline at 718-286-6673.
RELATED | Dash cam foils apparent insurance scam on Belt Parkway in Queens
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