PENNYPACK WOODS -
Philadelphia Police pull over dozens of cars everyday across the city. But for two drivers pulled over Wednesday night just a few miles apart, the guys with the flashing lights and badges weren't cops. Rather, they were police impersonators.
"It's getting crazy around here. It really is," said one driver.
"You just don't know who to trust, you just keep your eyes out," another driver added.
Julian Collins, 22, who claimed to be a former police explorer, stands charged with flashing a badge and his lights in the parking lot at a 7-Eleven in Pennypack Woods after he stopped a driver here pretending to be a cop. Police say Collins was never affiliated with the program.
"Real Philadelphia Police officers were in the area, they observed what was taking place and were able to affect an arrest," said Lt. John Stanford at an afternoon news conference.
An hour earlier, three guys in a pickup truck were stopped at Cottman and Walker by two police posers in a Chevy Malibu. They didn't have uniforms but they did wear badges, guns, shirts that said "police" and had police lights in their car grill.
The victims were handcuffed and driven away in their truck.
"After a brief struggle inside the vehicle, they were able to escape and notify police," Stanford said.
The two incidents, back-to-back and so close together, have drivers here on edge as the holiday season gets into full gear.
"I wanna see his badge and look at it , its the only thing you can do," said driver Tim Pfeiffer.
"It does startle you. It's obviously a concern," said Preston Pickett who uses the gas station at the 7-Eleven where the second incident occurred.
Lt. Stanford had some simple advice for drivers being pulled over by an unmarked car.
"It hurts nothing for you to dial 9-1-1, talk to the dispatcher and give a description of the individuals that have stopped you. Give a location of course and ask for a marked police unit," he explained.
Philadelphia Police investigators say two drivers were pulled over by people impersonating officers.
