SC teen claimed he was hurt in hit-and-run, but police said accident was staged

A teenager who claimed to be the victim of a hit-and-run crash was recently arrested after law enforcement officers determined that the accident he reported was staged, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

Jamari Demetrius Pringle, a 19-year-old Sumter County resident, was taken into custody on an insurance fraud charge, SLED said Tuesday in a news release.

On Oct. 9, the Mayesville teen was charged with presenting a false claim for insurance payment (value $10,000 or more), according to the release.

Pringle, and two unnamed co-defendants, reported to Progressive insurance a hit-and-run where a vehicle hit them from behind, forcing them off a road, according to an arrest warrant.

“All parties claimed injuries requiring medical treatment,” the arrest warrant said.

But both Progressive and SLED, at the request of the South Carolina Department of Insurance, conducted independent investigations. Those investigations determined that the hit-and-run accident “never occurred and was staged,” the arrest warrant said.

Pringle and one of the co-defendants made admissions to the investigators that led to that finding, according to the arrest warrant.

Progressive paid out $12,244.75 to cover medical bills and towing fees that were included in the false claim regarding the “staged accident,” the arrest warrant said.

Pringle was booked into the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center, according to SLED. His bond was set at $10,000 and was posted the same day that he was arrested, Sumter County court records show.

Pringle will be prosecuted by the South Carolina Department of Insurance, according to the release.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription