Police say vigilantes posing as NYPD detectives tried to stop a family in Lower Manhattan this week for not paying their fares, then pepper-sprayed the man when he didn’t comply.
Police said the imposter displayed a detective shield he was wearing around his neck when he confronted the family as they tried to enter through an open exit gate at the Whitehall Street South Ferry R Station around 6:35 p.m. Sunday.
According to police, the suspect claimed he was a detective with the New York Police Department.
Authorities said a 46-year-old man with his family tried to run from the fake officer, who then sprayed him in the back of the head with pepper spray.
Officers said the vigilante then boarded the northbound R train and traveled several stops to the 8th Avenue-NYU station, where he was seen on surveillance video.
Meanwhile, the victim was transported by private means to Bellevue Hospital where he was treated and released.
The suspect was last seen wearing ripped denim shorts, a black and yellow T-shirt, a yellow hat and an NYPD detective shield with the number 694 on it hanging from a chain around his neck.
Anyone with information about the crimes is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
The public can also submit information by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website. https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/X @NYPDTips.
