2 Men Staged Car Crashes On NYC Expressways In Fraud Scheme, DA Says

QUEENS, NY — Two men have been charged after allegedly staging car crashes for insurance payouts on city expressways last year, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office.

Jaime Huiracocha, 53, and Victor Murillo, 34, of Brooklyn were arraigned earlier this week and have been charged with staging a motor vehicle accident, reckless endangerment, conspiracy and insurance fraud, among others, prosecutors said.

Huiracocha along with Murillo are accused of staging three separate crashes from August 2024 to October 2024, prosecutors said.

In a notable incident on Oct. 16, Huiracocha met with Murillo and other individuals inside an East New York medical clinic and instructed them on how to stage a car crash. The participants were then told to send photos of the collision to a woman, prosecutors said.

They were also directed to go to a different medical clinic in Glendale after the crash. In exchange, the individuals were allegedly promised thousands of dollars.

The participants then drove to a meeting location near the Belt Parkway. There were four vehicles present, including a silver Honda Civic and a Red Kia. Huiracocha allegedly told the participants what vehicles to occupy. The designated drivers had headphones to communicate with one another, prosecutors said.

Murillo was told to drive the silver Honda. The others in the Honda were given a black plastic bag/tarp and were instructed to cover the rear window after the collision, so Murillo could switch seats with a passenger without being seen.

All the vehicles entered the Belt Parkway and drove until the group picked out Asphia Natasha’s vehicle for the staged crash. Natasha had a dash camera in her vehicle, capturing the whole incident.

The prevalence of staged auto crimes has outraged New Yorkers. The allegations against these two defendants speaks to the core of why my Frauds Bureau dutifully investigates and prosecutes scammers who orchestrate dangerous accidents for the sole purpose of extracting money from innocent drivers," District Attorney Melinda Katz said. "We are grateful that the initial victim came forward with shocking dashcam video of one of these collisions. After a long-term investigation with our partners at the NYPD and New York State Department of Financial Services, we identified two additional defendants who are now charged for this wide-ranging scheme.”

A Honda Civic cut in front of Natasha's car and then proceeded to back into her. 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. Then Murillo and another occupant of the Honda allegedly switched seats.

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.

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 Murillo allegedly exited the Honda and entered the Kia, which then left the scene.

The Allstate Insurance Co. received a claim for damages to the Honda.

The dash camera footage from Natasha went viral online after the incident.

Martinez was charged in November and his case is pending, prosecutors said.

Huiracocha has been ordered to return to court on September 9 and Murillo on September 4. If convicted of the top count, they each face five to 15 years in prison.