‘Are you even a cop?’: Woman questions driver of unmarked vehicle who ordered her to pull over, then he did something shocking

A Brooklyn driver had a scary experience when someone in an unmarked vehicle pretending to be a police officer told her to pull over near the Brooklyn Bridge. The incident was recorded on her dashcam and shows how dangerous it can be when people misuse emergency equipment on their cars.

According to Motor1, Maritza (@maritza_bk718) posted a video about what happened on TikTok on October 24. The video has been watched over 389,000 times. Maritza said this is the second time something like this has happened to her in New York City, and she warned other drivers to be careful because it seems to be a common problem.

Maritza was driving from Staten Island to Brooklyn in the HOV lane with her children sleeping in the back of her tinted Wagoneer. She saw a Ford Explorer ahead that looked like a police car with emergency lights. The driver kept turning the lights on and off, which seemed suspicious.

The fake officer’s behavior reveals a dangerous pattern in NYC

Maritza explained that the driver would turn on his lights whenever someone cut him off or when he wanted to get through traffic. People would move out of the way thinking he was a real officer. This behavior is sketchy and frustrating for other drivers on the road.

Near the Brooklyn Bridge where the HOV lane opens up, the Explorer suddenly stopped, turned on its lights, and the driver spoke through a PA system telling Maritza to pull over to the side. She pulled over thinking it was a real police stop, but a white man in his late 50s or early 60s with glasses and an accent immediately started yelling at her. Like many drivers who face unexpected issues with their vehicles, Maritza found herself in a situation she never expected.

The man shouted that she wasn’t supposed to be in his lane and threatened that he could have her arrested. His yelling woke up one of her children, who got scared. When Maritza asked him directly, “Are you even a cop?” and tried to record his license plate with her camera, he immediately drove away with his lights on.

People in the comments identified the vehicle as possibly belonging to Hatzolah, a Jewish volunteer emergency medical service. These groups use personal cars with lights and sirens to respond to medical emergencies. However, many people said some operators misuse this equipment and act like police officers to cut through traffic. This type of concerning behavior has been making waves on social media, similar to how the Cabinet’s controversial TikTok debut sparked widespread attention online.

A retired New York State EMT said that while some Hatzolah members are licensed responders, others just pretend to be police. Using emergency lights just to intimidate drivers or skip traffic is illegal. Impersonating a police officer is a serious crime in New York State and can result in felony charges. Maritza said she almost caused crashes because she had to pull over in a dangerous merging area, and her child was traumatized by the man’s threats.