A Long Island man intentionally walked into the path of a car backing out of a parking space, collected cash from the driver, then called police to file a false hit-and-run claim, police say.
Suffolk police say the 50-year-old man was walking out of an OTB parking lot in Centereach on Dec. 31 and purposely walked into the back of a car that was slowly backing up.
The man, James Matthias, fell to the ground, and the driver stopped the car and got out to check on him, police said.
Matthias asked the driver how they could settle the matter without calling an ambulance, and the driver gave him cash, according to police. Both men left the parking lot.
Matthias later called 911 to report he was involved in a hit-and-run and that he was injured. A police investigation found his claims were false, and Matthias was arrested at his Middle Island home Thursday afternoon.
He's scheduled to be arraigned Friday on charges of falsely reporting an incident and making a false written statement in First District Court in Central Islip. Lawyer information for him was not immediately available.
