The light-colored vehicle in the case against Priscilla Carmona Arajo, Juan Barajas, Gabriella Cervantes, Roberto Carlos Macias, and Humberto Ortiz. A driver walked away. (Screenshot: California Department of Insurance)
Five people who each played a role in staging a hit-and-run car crash to collect an insurance payout of more than $30,000 are now facing charges after a video of the crash was discovered, according to the California Department of Insurance.
The footage, which you can see here, shows one person leaving a vehicle in the middle of an intersection and walking away as another person soon crashes into the car and walks off in the same direction as the first.
State authorities did not name the individuals in the video, but identified the five defendants as:
- Priscilla Carmona Arajo, 29 of Fontana, arrested on Monday
- Juan Barajas, 25, of Upland, is in custody in Orange County, California, for an unrelated case
- Gabriella Cervantes, 52, of Rancho Cucamonga, arrested on Jan. 16
- Roberto Carlos Macias, 40, of Chino, arrested Jan. 11, 2024
- Humberto Ortiz, 32, of Ontario, arrested on Tuesday
They each face a felony count of insurance fraud.
“The investigation revealed the five defendants had staged the crash and filed an insurance claim that could have resulted in a payout of over $30,000,” authorities wrote. “Surveillance video from a home near the collision shows one of the defendants leaving the vehicle in the middle of an intersection, while another defendant crashes into the vacated vehicle before both defendants flee the scene.”
The crash in the case against Priscilla Carmona Arajo, Juan Barajas, Gabriella Cervantes, Roberto Carlos Macias, and Humberto Ortiz. (Screenshot: California Department of Insurance)
The Ontario Police Department arrived at the scene, where a woman claimed she was the victim of a hit and run, they said. Witnesses, however, claimed she walked over to the vehicles after the crash.
Footage dated Sept. 6, 2021, before 2:30 p.m. shows a light-colored vehicle stopping in the middle of an intersection. The driver steps out, walking in the direction behind the car. A darker-colored vehicle soon crashed into the car’s side. That driver walks in the same direction as the first person.
The dark-colored vehicle in the case against Priscilla Carmona Arajo, Juan Barajas, Gabriella Cervantes, Roberto Carlos Macias, and Humberto Ortiz. The driver of that vehicle walked away. (Screenshot: California Department of Insurance)
From authorities:
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; document as much information about the collision as possible; use a cell phone to document the post-collision damage with photographs or video; ask the peace officer to positively identify everyone involved; and report the suspicious collision to the California Department of Insurance by calling 800-927-4357 or visiting our website at insurance.ca.gov.
