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Authorities probe alleged car-write off scheme after Edgewater storm flooding
Investigators are focused on vehicles including a BMW 7 Series and a Mercedes-Benz S580, both valued at about $130,000, after video surfaced showing cars entering the flooded River Road lot as floodwater receded.
Insurance Business reports that officials in Edgewater, New Jersey, are investigating whether some car owners deliberately drove or pushed vehicles into a flooded parking lot on River Road so the cars could be written off as storm losses after a nor'easter receded.
The probe involves Edgewater police, the state Attorney General's fraud unit, and the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, while insurance carriers have been alerted to footage circulating on social media.
Authorities said timing raised suspicion, with video recorded Saturday showing some cars underwater and additional footage by Monday showing more vehicles, some appearing after floodwater began to go down.
Edgewater Borough Administrator Greg Franz told PIX11 News that the activity is alleged and that the borough has video of drivers, suggesting the vehicles did not accidentally end up in the water.