DA: Lying cop foiled by pizza delivery driver

A city cop who fled the scene of an accident and then filed a false insurance claim was foiled, in part, by an observant pizza delivery man who snapped a photo of her license plate as she fled the scene, according to prosecutors.

April Shaynick, 42, has been charged with insurance fraud, theft, false reports to law enforcement and related offenses for the Aug. 9 crash at Van Kirk Street and Summerdale Avenue in Summerdale.

Shaynick, a 14-year veteran of the department who works in the First District, was in her 2004 Honda Civic when she ran a stop sign at the intersection and hit a 2003 Mazda Protege with two people inside, prosecutors said.

According to the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, Shaynick took off from the crash without stopping to check on the well being on those in the car she hit or any damage that may have occurred. One person in the other vehicle was taken to the hospital for injuries to her knee, according to prosecutors.

For Shaynick, who lists gambling as her favorite past time on Facebook, her actions were a gamble that didn't pay off. Several people not only witnessed the accident, but a vigilant pizza delivery driver was able to take a photo of Shaynick's license plate as she drove away, prosecutors said.

The day after the accident, Shaynick allegedly called her insurance company and reported that her car had been hit while it was parked outside of her house. She even went as far as to file a false police report she wrote herself and forwarded it along to the insurance company, which paid out $4,000 to have her car fixed, prosecutors said.

Thus, Shaynick's charge of false reports to police is, in essence, for filing a false report with herself.

Shaynick turned herself in to prosecutors this morning and has been suspended for 30 days with the intent to dismiss.