Banana Peel 'Slipping' Claim In Middletown Leads To Insurance Fraud Charge

MIDDLETOWN, CT — A 62-year-old Middletown woman who claimed she was hurt while slipping on a banana peel at the local Goodwill store is facing an insurance fraud charge, police said.

A warrant, shared with Patch via a Freedom of Information request, was served to Rosalba Chiulli on July 25, records show. She is due for a second court appearance to face the felony charge in the case on Aug. 14, a year and a week after the purported incident took place, according to judicial system records.

Chiulli has made "a significant amount" of insurance claims against commercial properties in the past, according to a warrant.

Police began investigating the claim in May after an insurance industry representative said he was investigating the claim, according to a warrant.

The injury claim centers around an Aug. 8, 2024 incident at the Goodwill store at 955 Washington St. According to surveillance camera footage cited in a warrant, at 9:17 a.m. that day, a black pickup truck pulled into a parking space and, a short time later, a small sedan drove into a space next to it.

A man is shown getting out of the truck and standing next to the truck's bed. A woman is then seen near the sedan carrying a small dog and a bag with long straps, according to a warrant. The woman is seen taking six steps, while putting the dog down, then falling between the vehicles, seemingly after tripping over the dog's leash or a bag strap, according to a warrant.

Chiulli then entered the Goodwill store with a minor scratch on her leg and claimed she had slipped on a banana peel in the parking lot, according to a warrant. The pickup truck driver said there was no banana peel and a search by staffers also failed to locate a banana peel, according to a warrant.

Goodwill was later contacted by a lawyer looking into the matter of Chiulli tripping on a discarded "lighter" in the parking lot, according to a warrant. She wanted compensation for "injuries," according to a warrant. After Goodwill staffers asked what happened to the banana peel claim, the surveillance footage was reviewed again and showed a crushed lighter in the parking lot, but nowhere near where the fall reportedly took place, according to a warrant.

Police then determined the claim was false, according to a warrant. Goodwill's insurer said it spent $2,355 on the "false" claim, according to a warrant.