Men behind viral staged Queens car crash sentenced to prison

Two men who orchestrated a series of car crashes across Queens as part of an insurance fraud scheme were sentenced to prison earlier this month. Screenshot taken from video provided by Queens District Attorney’s Office

By Noah Powelson

The two Brooklyn men responsible for the staged Belt Parkway car crash that went viral last year are heading to prison after admitting they orchestrated a series of similar fake accidents as part of an insurance fraud scheme.

Jaime Huiracocha, 53, and Victor Murillo, 34, were sentenced earlier this month after both pleaded guilty for their roles in arranging three separate vehicular accidents throughout 2024, faking injuries and filing bogus insurance claims to reap the profits. Huiracocha and Murillo enlisted the aid of at least nine others for their scheme, using their cars and instructing them on how to be appear injured and how to file fraudulent claims that raked in thousands of dollars.

The scheme often involved several different co-conspirators each time, but Huiracocha and Murillo were always the common factor.

According to the Queens District Attorney’s office, the scheme involved Murillo merging his vehicle in front of another car on the busy Belt Parkway or Nassau Expressway, then suddenly slamming the brakes and intentionally getting rear ended by their victims. After the crash, Murillo would flee the scene with Huiracocha while other co-conspirators passengers stayed behind and filed fraudulent insurance claims.

Prosecutors shared videos of at least three different staged accidents that Huiracocha and Murillo orchestrated.

Huiracocha, who prosecutors said was the organizer and ringleader of the scheme, was sentenced to a one-to-three-year prison sentence on Aug. 24.

Murillo, who was the driver in all three staged accidents, was sentenced to two years in prison.

Both pleaded guilty and were sentenced before Queens Supreme Court Justice Jerry Iannece.

Two other co-conspirators who were passengers in the vehicles, Maikel Martinez and Ivon Matus-Martinez, also pleaded guilty and are expected to be sentenced later this month.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said the investigation into the pair’s conspiracy started when a video of one of their fake accidents made headlines and circulated throughout social media last year.

The video, which the Eagle reported on, was dashcam footage recorded in Oct. 2024 by a victim of the scheme, Asphia Natasha. The video showed Murillo suddenly cutting in front of Natasha while they drove down the Belt Parkway near Rosedale, and almost immediately slamming the brakes.

Natasha managed to react in time and stop her vehicle before they collided, but then Murillo quickly reversed the Honda he was driving and crashed into her car.

The video, which has since been posted by numerous accounts, has racked up tens of millions of views.

“Everybody knows what it feels like to get into an accident, it is a terrible feeling,” Katz said. “[The defendants are] endangering their own lives. They're endangering the lives of the passengers they hire, and they're endangering the lives of the drivers that they are scamming.”

According to the DA’s office, the planning and execution of the three accidents were set up in the same way each time.

Huiracocha found people with access to a car and offered them a quick payout of a few hundred dollars to get their vehicle in an accident. He would then find two to three other co-conspirators to be passengers in the vehicle, also offering them cash payment to do so.

Huiracocha and Murillo then drove in two separate vehicles, with Murillo driving the one with the passengers. The two were in constant communication as they drove down the busy highways and identified a potential victim on the road, prosecutors said.

After a victim was chosen, Murillo would quickly merge in front of them and slam the breaks. Once the cars collided, Murillo would quickly get out of the driver seat and switch seats with one of the passengers. At the same time, the other co-conspirators in the car covered the rear window with a black tarp to hide what they were doing.

Huiracocha, following close by, would pull his own car in front of the accident.

The passengers then emerged from Murillo’s car first, holding their hands to their necks to fake injuries while taking photos of the damage done to both vehicles. Murillo always emerged from the car last, but instead of joining the group, separated and hopped into Huiracocha’s vehicle that quickly drove off.

Passengers involved in the crash would then submit separate insurance claims, sometimes giving payouts in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and Governor Kathy Hochul said a viral video of a staged car crash triggered an investigation into the insurance fraud scheme. Eagle photo by Noah Powelson

Katz said investigations into others potentially involved in the scheme are still ongoing.

The investigation uncovered a wider “ecosystem of profit” Katz said, including medical professionals and attorneys – who play a part in progressing these fraudulent insurance claims through the courts.

“Today is not only about these cases, today is a warning shot to all of the doctors, the medical facilities, the lawyers, to anyone who are involved in these insurance schemes,” Katz said. “We are going to look for you, we are going to find you, and we are going to prosecute you for these crimes.”

“Remember, all of this needs medical clearance, insurance claims, help to fill out the paperwork for the insurance fraud,” she added.

Governor Kathy Hochul appeared alongside Katz during Thursday’s announcement, and said that schemes like the one Huiracocha and Murillo operated not only made New York streets dangerous but played a direct role in raising insurance rates for the average consumer.

Lowering car insurance premiums in New York was a major aspect of Hochul’s budget this year.

“This kind of reckless, illegal behavior has been driving up auto insurance costs for millions of

New Yorkers for far too long,” Hochul said. “By cracking down, we’re not just getting dangerous criminals off our roads, we’re putting money back into the pockets of everyday drivers.”

Ruben Davidoff, a personal injury attorney and member of the Queens County Bar Association’s board of managers, said that scams like the ones Huiracocha and Murillo pulled off are probably very common.

Personal injury is a very large and lucrative industry with steep competition, and because of that, many new attorneys or firms may take on dubious cases just to stay competitive. In the process, these attorneys may unknowingly or knowingly end up assisting these insurance scams.

“It's a really bad business,” Davidoff said. “It's giving a bad name to attorneys, it’s giving a bad name to personal injury lawyers, it's giving a bad name to the communities.”

Part of the issue, Davidoff said, is there hasn’t been a real investigation or effort by the government to clamp down on firms taking on fraudulent insurance claims.

“There are so many attorneys out there, but there are only so many accidents,” Davidoff said. “The writing is on the wall.”