5 arrested for staging hit-and-run crash in California to file insurance claim

Five people have been arrested for allegedly staging a hit-and-run crash in Ontario, California, and using the incident to file a fake insurance claim. Home surveillance video helped investigators crack the crime.
The incident took place back in 2021, when the five people involved staged a car crash at an Ontario intersection in an attempt to later collect an insurance payout worth more than $30,000. The defendants were identified as 29-year-old Fontana resident Priscilla Carmona Arajo, 52-year-old Rancho Cucamonga resident Gabriella Cervantes, 40-year-old Chino resident Roberto Carlos Macias and 32-year-old Ontario resident Humberto Ortiz. 25-year-old Upland resident Juan Barajas was already in custody at the Orange County Jail at the time, for an unrelated case.
Surveillance video that helped the investigation reportedly showed one of the people leaving a car in the middle of the intersection. Just moments later, another defendant crashed into the vehicle, which was vacant. The two then fled on foot.
Ontario Police Department officers arrived at the scene of the crash, where a woman told them she was the victim of a hit-and-run driver. Witnesses, however, claimed that she walked over to the two cars after the crash took place. Eventually, a task force of investigators from the California Department of Insurance, California Highway Patrol, San Bernardino District Attorney’s Office and the Riverside District Attorney’s Office determined that the incident was actually staged.
All the suspects were arrested between January 11 and January 23 of 2024. They were investigated by the Inland Empire Automobile Insurance Fraud Task Force and now face felony counts of insurance fraud.
“In this case, no innocent drivers were victimized, but the Department always urges drivers who suspect they or someone they know are the victim of a staged collision to insist on a police report,” said a statement from the California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, according to CBS News.
One can report suspicious collisions to the California Department of Insurance at (800) 927-4357.