A man from New York City has been arrested for allegedly orchestrating a vehicular accident for the purpose of defrauding an insurance company, according to authorities, who made the announcement on Friday. This incident attracted significant attention after the crash victim shared footage from her dashboard camera, showcasing the event.

Officials report that the 28-year-old individual from Brooklyn was in a vehicle whose operator abruptly cut off another car in Queens, leading to a deliberate collision. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz details that the accused and his accomplices supposedly created a staged accident on a crowded highway, intentionally ramming into an unfortunate driver after blocking her vehicle in the left lane of the Belt Parkway. She emphasized that this behavior put numerous lives at risk due to its extraordinarily reckless nature.

On October 16, Asphia Natasha was driving northbound on the Belt Parkway when a silver Honda Civic maneuvered in front of her vehicle and came to an abrupt halt. To prevent a collision, Natasha had to brake suddenly, which led the driver of the Honda to reverse into her car, resulting in damage to both vehicles involved. Prosecutors noted that the occupants of the Honda were seen holding a plastic tarp that obscured Natasha’s view of what was happening inside their vehicle, and they allegedly switched positions within the car after the collision.

The dashboard camera in Natasha’s vehicle captured the entire incident, leading to the video garnering millions of views on TikTok. After the crash, four individuals exited the Honda. The 28-year-old suspect was arrested on Thursday upon returning to New York on a flight from Ecuador. Authorities believe he was a backseat passenger during the incident, and efforts are ongoing to locate the other three individuals who were in the car at the time.

The suspect faces multiple charges, including the staging of a motor vehicle accident, criminal mischief, reckless endangerment, and insurance fraud. He has entered a not guilty plea, with his attorney’s office approached for comments regarding the case.