The NYPD released images on Friday, June 3, of a man who claimed to be a cop, pulled over a senior driver in Flushing and told him to fork over hundreds of dollars in cash to avoid getting a ticket.
Law enforcement sources said the incident occurred at 2:08 p.m. on May 27 in the area of Farrington Street and 31st Road, where an 82-year-old man was driving his vehicle. Police said the suspect, who was behind the wheel of a light-colored Toyota Sienna, flagged down the driver and told him to pull over.
After both men exited from their vehicles, police said, the perpetrator identified himself as an undercover police officer and told the 82-year-old man that he had failed to stop at a posted stop sign. The purported cop then demanded that the man provide him with $700 in cash to avoid getting a ticket.
Authorities said the fake cop then drove the senior to the Chase Bank at 132-01 14th Ave. in College Point, where the elderly man withdrew $700 in cash and provided it to the impostor. The suspect then drove the man back to his vehicle, and both men went their separate ways.
The incident was later reported to the 109th Precinct.
Police described the phony cop as a white man in his 40s with a short, heavy-set build, a tattoo on his ankle and a visible rash on his leg and abdomen. The Toyota Sienna was said to have a black front passenger corner panel.
Anyone with information regarding the incident or the fake cop’s whereabouts is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS, visit their website or send a text message to 274637 (CRIMES), then enter TIP577. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
