Maikel Martinez, 28, was charged with staging a motor vehicle accident, reckless endangerment and other crimes,
Asphia Natasha’s dash cam footage of the collision has received millions of views on TikTok.
NEW YORK CITY —A New York City man has been charged with staging a car accident on the Belt Parkway last month in a botched insurance fraud attempt that went viral after the victim uploaded dashcam footage to TikTok.
Maikel Martinez, 28, was charged with staging a motor vehicle accident, reckless endangerment and other crimes, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. He has pled not guilty.
Martinez is accused of driving a silver Honda Civic and cutting in front of Asphia Natasha’s vehicle and stopping abruptly. He then intentionally backed into the vehicle, causing damage to 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, the occupants then switched their seating arrangement within the Honda, Katz said.
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 three people are still being sought.
Natasha’s dash cam footage of the collision has received millions of views on TikTok.
“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,” Katz said . “Countless lives were jeopardized due to this incredibly reckless conduct.”
Martinez was arrested after arriving in New York on a flight from Ecuador.
CREDIT: Dvid Luces, Patch Staff 
