Hudson, NH man arrested in hit-and-run and insurance fraud case

Aaron Curtis, The Sun, Lowell, Mass.Sun

HUDSON, N.H. — A Hudson man is facing felony charges after police linked him to a hit-and-run crash and an alleged insurance fraud scheme earlier this year.

The Hudson Police Department said Andrew Collins, 34, was arrested on Monday following a monthslong investigation into a June 1 incident on Ferry Street, where a parked Ford F-250 was heavily damaged overnight. A witness alleged seeing a pickup truck speed away from the area. Investigators later recovered debris at the scene, and after gathering additional information, were able to link the vehicle to one owned by Collins.

Detectives, working with the National Insurance Crime Bureau and an insurance company, discovered that Collins had filed a claim reporting his vehicle as a total loss. Police said they determined, however, that the damage was consistent with his vehicle being in motion at the time of the crash, which contradicted Collins’ account to the insurer.

Police obtained an arrest warrant charging Collins with insurance fraud, a Class A felony; falsifying physical evidence, a Class B felony; and conduct after an accident, a Class A misdemeanor. He was taken into custody on Monday night and subsequently released on personal recognizance bail.

Collins is scheduled to be arraigned in the 9th Circuit Court in Nashua on Dec. 11.

In a press release announcing the arrest, police thanked the National Insurance Crime Bureau and community members for their assistance in the investigation.