Philly officer accused of leaving accident scene, filing false claim

A Philadelphia police officer today was arrested for allegedly hitting a car, leaving the scene and then filing a false claim with her insurance company, the District Attorney's office said.

April Shaynick, 42, turned herself in to police today. According to a statement from the D.A.'s office, Shaynick ran a stop sign on Aug. 9 at Van Kirk Street and Summerdale Avenue, in the Northeast. Shaynick then hit a car that had two people inside and drove away without stopping, the statement said. There were multiple witnesses to the accident, including a pizza delivery driver who reportedly took a picture of Shaynick's license plate.

The driver of the other car sustained knee injuries and had to be taken to a hospital, the DA's office said.

The next day, Shaynick is accused of filing a claim with her insurance company, claiming her car was hit while parked in front of her house. She also provided the company with a fraudulent police report that she had written herself, the statement said.

Shaynick was eventually paid more than $4,000 by her insurer.

Contact Allison Steele at 215-854-2641 or asteele@phillynews.com. Twitter @AESteele.