Authorities say a Staten Island man flashed a badge and pretended he was a policeman to avoid the city's gas rationing restrictions.
Aniello DeGuida is due back in court on Dec. 17. He's charged with criminal impersonation.
Authorities say he showed up at a gas station with an even-numbered license plate on an odd-numbered day and allegedly claimed to be a policeman on his way to work.
The attendant refused him. The real NYPD intervened.
The Staten Island Advance called the defendant's home for comment. A man who identified himself as DeGuida denied having been arrested. He said the allegations were "ridiculous'' and must be "a hoax.''
Copyright AP - Associated Press
