Brooklyn man arrested for allegedly staging viral crash on Belt Parkway

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A man involved in a staged crash on the Belt Parkway last month has been charged with multiple crimes, including staging a motor vehicle accident, ABC News7 reports.
 

The incident, which was recorded on Ashpia Natasha’s dash camera, quickly went viral, amassing tens of millions of views. According to authorities, Maikel Martinez, 28, of Dyker Heights, was in the vehicle that allegedly cut off another driver, forcing her to stop. The car he was in then reversed into her vehicle intentionally.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz condemned the act, stating, “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.”
 

Martinez 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 is due back in court on January 7. If convicted, he faces up to 2 1/3 to 7 years in prison.
 

The charges allege that on October 16, 2024, around 11:11 a.m., Natasha was driving in the left lane of the Belt Parkway in Rosedale near the Nassau County border. Her vehicle, equipped with front and rear dash cams, captured a silver Honda Civic cutting in front of her and coming to a complete stop. She braked to avoid a collision, but the Honda then reversed into her car, causing damage. The Honda's occupants held up a tarp in the rear window, obstructing her view, and appeared to change seats inside the vehicle.
 

After the crash, four people exited the Honda, including a woman who got out on the driver’s side and a man, Martinez, who identified the driver as his wife. Two other individuals in the vehicle remain unidentified.
 

Footage also shows a red Kia Sport following Natasha’s car and stopping ahead of the Honda after the crash. One of the Honda's occupants got into the Kia, which then left the scene.
 

DA Katz is urging anyone who suspects they may have been involved in a staged crash to contact the NYPD Office of Fraudulent Collision Investigation Squad at 718-822-5403 or the Queens DA Consumer Fraud Helpline at 718-286-6673.


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