Man in car seen backing up into vehicle on Belt Parkway charged: Queens DA
Editor's note: A previous version of this story misidentified the suspect's role in the incident. The story is updated below.
NEW YORK (PIX11) – A man who was inside a car that was caught on camera backing up into another vehicle on the Belt Parkway has been charged with staging the crash, according to the Queens District Attorney's Office.
Maikel Martinez, of Brooklyn, was inside the silver Honda Civic that cut off Asphia Natasha's car in the left lane on Oct. 16, prosecutors said. The Honda Civic, seen in a video recorded by Natasha's dashboard camera, then reversed into her vehicle.
After the crash, the occupants of the Honda Civic held up a plastic tarp to the rearview window and switched their seating arrangements, according to officials. A woman, who Martinez identified as his wife, got out of the driver's seat.
Two other people who got out of the Honda Civic, a man and a woman, have not been identified, officials said.
A red Kia Sport that followed Natasha's car pulled up in front of the Honda Civic, according to the criminal complaint. The unidentified male occupant of the Honda Civic got in the Kia Sport, which left the scene, according to officials.
Martinez, 28, was taken into custody after he landed in New York on Thursday following a flight from Ecuador, officials said. He was charged with staging a motor vehicle accident, criminal mischief, reckless endangerment, conspiracy and insurance fraud.
He could face between two to seven years in prison if convicted. The Honda Civic involved in the crash was seized by police on Oct. 24, according to the NYPD.
Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.