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Police say man lied about truck theft

    ROTTERDAM — A Rotterdam man is facing felony charges for allegedly crashing his truck and then telling his insurance company it was stolen.
    John McGraw, 43, of Forbes Avenue allegedly was driving his pickup truck Feb. 5 on Harrison Street in Schenectady when he hit a parked Volkswagen, totaling the vehicle. McGraw then left the truck at the accident scene and walked away, according to Phil D’Angelo, an investigator with the New York State Insurance Frauds Bureau.
    The next day, McGraw reported to Rotterdam police that someone took his keys and stole the truck while he worked a shift at Katina’s Diner on Curry Road. McGraw also allegedly filed a false claim with State Farm.
    “He said he just panicked after the accident,” D’Angelo said.
    McGraw was arraigned Monday in Rotterdam Town Court on charges of first-degree falsifying business records and third-degree insurance fraud and released on his own recognizance.