At a Miami-Dade intersection, the cars were in place and the crash call had gone out over the police radio. Anyone who stopped to pitch services would be dealing with undercover officers posing as drivers.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers and Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies staged wrecks across Northwest Miami-Dade during a joint operation. WSVN’s Sheldon Fox joined the team for an exclusive ride-along on November 5.
Two men were detained during the operation, WSVN reported. Troopers told the station that the pair had police scanners in their car and had responded to a crash call.
Behind the sting was a warning about people who turn up uninvited after a wreck. Officials told WSVN that drivers can end up signing away their vehicles, then face bills of thousands of dollars to get them back.
Waiting for Company
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One of the staged scenes was at Northwest 12th Avenue and 95th Street. With cars set in the intersection and officers playing crash victims, the team waited for someone to approach.
The police radio call was part of the setup. Troopers told WSVN that the two men arrived after hearing it, and the report describes officers questioning them about offering legal services.
When Fox asked one of the men what had happened, he answered, “Nothing.” Fox then asked about the accusation that he had been offering legal services to someone at the crash scene.
As the night went on, the team changed locations when a staged scene stopped drawing interest. Tow trucks lifted the cars away so the officers could set up another fake wreck elsewhere.
An Unwanted Offer
The broader scheme can begin before a driver has much time to deal with the crash. Someone arrives offering a tow, legal help, or body shop work, even though the driver never asked that person to come.
“They’ll arrive, a lot of times even before law enforcement does,” an officer told WSVN. That quick arrival was one reason the operation used a crash call to draw people to the scene.
Officials described drivers being approached while distracted by a wreck and being asked to sign paperwork. Their warning focused on the cost of agreeing to services from someone who showed up without being called.
For drivers, the advice from the operation was to check who requested the help before accepting it. WSVN’s report ended with a warning to turn down unsolicited towing, legal, or body shop services unless the driver or police had made the call.