A San José man has been sentenced to 60 days in county jail for insurance fraud and reckless driving following a road rage incident where he brake-checked a semi-truck on Highway 101.
Ken Pham Tran, 53, was convicted of felony insurance fraud, felony vandalism, and misdemeanor reckless driving stemming from the January 2025 incident. Prosecutors stated that Tran, believing the truck had cut him off, pursued it in his Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. He then maneuvered in front of the semi-truck and braked sharply on two occasions. Despite the truck driver's attempts to change lanes, Tran again positioned his vehicle in front of the truck and applied his brakes a third time.
Dashcam footage captured the Jeep abruptly stopping in front of the semi-truck, leading to the truck rear-ending the Jeep. Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen commented, "Road rage. Reckless driving. Insurance fraud. This person made a lot of bad decisions."
Following the collision, Tran contacted emergency services, reporting the truck driver for a hit-and-run. He allegedly misrepresented the circumstances to police, claiming he was stationary in traffic when struck. Tran also omitted the actual cause of the crash when filing a claim with Progressive Insurance.
However, Tran was not the only individual to report the incident. Another motorist contacted authorities to report a white Jeep Wrangler Rubicon driving recklessly and brake-checking a semi-truck on the freeway, according to the California Department of Insurance. This witness indicated that the semi-truck driver appeared to have no opportunity to avoid the collision.
In addition to his jail sentence, a judge ordered Tran to pay $1,200 in restitution to Progressive Insurance and over $3,000 to Bill Jacobsen Trucking, as confirmed by the district attorney’s office.
