Around one in the morning on Wednesday, March 2, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office received a 9-1-1 call from an individual claiming to have been pulled over by a suspicious person posing as an officer.

The 19-year-old male was stopped near Cathay and River Roads by a 2016 white Nissan Maxima with flashing blue lights mounted on its rear view mirror, according to a report by WECT.

The Caucasian man posing as an officer was reported to have been in his 40s, about 6 feet tall, and 200 pounds. He was wearing black pants, a white polo shirt, a black ball cap and a gun holster containing a brown Smith and Wesson handgun.

When the imposter failed to identify himself and present a badge, the victim immediately became apprehensive.

Upon being asked for his license and registration without a reason for being pulled over, the victim refused and called 9-1-1, sending the phony officer back to his car.

The fraudulent deputy promptly drove away and the 9-1-1 operator instructed the victim to drive to a well lit, designated location where he would be met by an actual officer.

Matt Langley of New Hanover County Communications remarked that if a person feels uneasy upon being pulled over, they should dial 9-1-1 to confirm the authenticity of the officer.

“We will clarify and document the information that they are giving us while checking with the agencies that we dispatch for in order to verify if there is a call at the location that the caller provided,” said Langley.

This advice emphasizes the notion that in situations like this, it is certainly better to be safe than sorry.

Unfortunately, this is not the only recent report of a police impersonator. Less than an hour away from Wilmington in Sneads Ferry, there has been more than one incident in the past couple months where individuals are being falsely pulled over.

The people of Onslow County have taken to calling the culprit “The Blue-Light Bandit of Sneads Ferry,” according to Star News reporter Michael Todd.

Although the Blue-Light Bandit was never identified or caught, his description does not match that of the culprit involved in the phony stop on March 2. This shows that the crime is not as rare as often thought and that drivers should always exercise caution when confirming the authenticity of an officer.

Many people hesitate to dial 9-1-1 or keep driving to a populated area for fear of offending or upsetting an officer.

“Any legitimate police officer is not going to have a problem if you drive to a well lit area before stopping,” said Major Chris Bertram of the UNCW Police Department. “Especially if you make a statement when they approach the vehicle regarding how you didn’t feel safe.”

Major Bertram explained that the easiest thing to do would be to just dial 9-1-1 and have the operator identify and confirm the officer pulling you over.

“If you believe the person behind you is not actually an officer, do not pull over,” said Bertram.

With fraudulent traffic stops appearing more frequently in the news, it is important that drivers are aware of the advice given by police on how to handle the situation.

The victim of the incident on March 2 prevented the occurrence from escalating further, and police request that all other drivers follow suit and be careful in such situations.