Police on Long Island are looking for a robber who pretended to be a cop as he pulled over a driver using flashing red lights Monday afternoon.
The impersonator struck on Broadway and Willow in residential Woodmere, using flashing lights on his black Jeep Cherokee to pull over the victim, Nassau police said.
The impersonator convinced the 25-year-old victim to get out of the car and put his wallet and other belongings on the trunk, police said. He then took off with the money.
Neighbors were stunned someone would be so bold.
"I've lived here for 25 years, and there's a lot of police that go up and down the street so I believe that would be legitimate," said neighbor Laurie Kreager.
"We all trust police. I grew up, as a little girl, you run to the policeman if you have a problem, and if you don't know who the policemen are, you're in trouble," she said.
The fake cop is described as being in his 30s and about 5 feet tall.
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Nassau police say drivers can take safety measure if they're pulled over by someone in an unmarked car. They should turn on flashers and drive to a well-lit, safe location; call 911 and tell them an unmarked car is trying to pull them over; ask the officer for his or her name, rank and ID; and if they're still unsure, stay in the car and request a marked vehicle.
