Bill > S05232

This bill amends the New York penal law to expand the definition of "staging a motor vehicle accident in the second degree" by adding new ways a person can be charged with this crime. Currently, the law applies to someone who intentionally causes a vehicle collision with the intent to commit a fraudulent insurance act. The proposed amendment broadens the scope to include situations where a person directs, hires, requests, encourages, orchestrates, or invites another individual to cause a vehicle collision, rather than just personally operating the vehicle. This means that individuals who plan or coordinate fraudulent vehicle accidents, even if they are not directly driving, can now be charged with a class E felony. The bill aims to provide law enforcement with more tools to prosecute insurance fraud schemes involving intentional vehicle collisions, and will take effect 60 days after becoming law.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S5232