San Jose man gets jail after causing his own road rage crash, submitting fraudulent insurance claim
A man caught on dashcam video causing his own road rage crash on U.S Highway 101 in San Jose, and who later submitted a fraudulent insurance claim for the collision, was sentenced to jail on Friday.
San Jose resident Kenneth Pham Tran, 53, was sentenced to 60 days in the county jail after he was convicted last month of felony insurance fraud, felony vandalism, and reckless driving, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office said in a press release.
The incident happened on January 28, 2025 when Tran was driving on Highway 101 near the Alum Rock Avenue onramp. The DA's Office said Tran was enraged after he felt he had been cut off by a semi-truck, and he caught up to the semi at the Story Road underpass and slammed on his brakes in front of it. After brake-checking the semi a second time, the truck tried to change lanes to avoid Tran's Jeep Wrangler, but Tran cut in front of the truck again and brake-checked a third time. The truck driver was not able to stop in time and crashed into the back of the Jeep, with the entire sequence caught on the truck's dashboard camera.
The DA's Office said a witness called 911 to report the reckless driving, while Tran also called 911 to claim a hit-and-run accident caused by the truck driver. Tran lied to police, saying he was stopped for traffic when he was rear-ended, the office said.
The California Department of Insurance said in a press release that its investigators received a referral about the case from the California Highway Patrol which first investigated the collision. Fraud task force members said the witness reported they had to swerve out of the way of Tran's Jeep that was driving recklessly and break checking the semi-truck, and stated it looked as though the semi-truck would not have been able to prevent the collision.
Tran later submitted an insurance claim where he did not disclose his unsafe driving. In his claim, Tran also stated the driver of the semi-truck refused to pull over and exchange insurance information, the department said.
"Road rage doesn't pay," said Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara in a prepared statement. "Crimes like these jeopardize public safety and increase insurance cost for consumers and businesses. I applaud the work of our detectives and investigators which is essential in protecting California drivers and holding offenders accountable."
"Road rage. Reckless driving. Insurance fraud. This person made a lot of bad decisions," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. "Count to 10 before you commit fraud in Santa Clara County."
Aside from his jail sentence, Tran was ordered to pay Progressive Insurance $1,200 in restitution, while Morgan Hill-based Bill Jacobsen Trucking will receive $3,000.
