Driver in viral insurance fraud attempt caught with list of charges

The ‘clown car of idiots’ is back in the news, and one is behind bars. Thanks to the now highly viral video, the driver of the failed insurance scam was taken into custody this week and charged with multiple charges. I guess that’s what happens when literally people see you executing a detailed but flawed ruse.

A quick recap: On October 16, Ashpia Natasha was driving along the Belt Parkway in New York’s Queens borough when a Honda Civic cut her off and performed a brake check. Natasha avoided the collision and watched as the silver two-door deliberately backed into her Acura.

After some musical chairs in the car behind a tarp covering the rear window (one of many red flags), the alleged driver left the scene in a getaway Kia Sportage. The remaining Civic passengers stayed behind to simulate head injuries while taking photos of the damaged vehicles. Unbeknownst to them, the entire incident was captured on Natasha’s front and rear dashcams.

The fleeing driver appears to be a 28-year-old from Brooklyn. According to PIX11the Queens District Attorney’s Office announced the man’s arrest. He was arrested Thursday as he returned to New York on a flight from Ecuador. The suspect told authorities that the woman who exited the driver’s side door of the Civic was his wife.

Additional costs for the other parties involved are not known at this time. The other two Honda occupants have still not been identified. The NYPD also has not released any information about the Kia or its driver. However, the Civic was located in Queens and was seized by police on October 24.

The Honda driver has been charged with faking a motor vehicle accident, criminal mischief, reckless endangerment, conspiracy and insurance fraud. If convicted, he faces seven years in prison.