A vigilante impersonating an NYPD officer pepper-sprayed a man he allegedly caught entering a Manhattan subway station without paying the fare, authorities said Thursday.
The attack happened on the uptown R train platform at the Whitehall St.-South Ferry station at 6:35 p.m. on Sunday. Noticing that a family had entered the station through an open exit gate, the self-styled cop put a necklace around his own neck that seemed to be an NYPD detective badge.
The suspect then addressed a 46-year-old member of the fare-evading family, who brushed him off. The vigilante reportedly claimed to be a cop making an arrest for theft of service, a type of offense that includes fare evasion. While the victim was attempting to get away, the suspect eventually pepper-sprayed him in the back of the head.
The man was treated for burns and facial edema at Bellevue Hospital. The vigilante fled on an uptown-bound R train. Authorities retrieved security footage showing him exiting the W. 8th Street-NYU station following his train disembarkation.
The NYPD requested the public’s assistance in identifying and locating the suspect on Thursday by releasing images of him along with a phony badge.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS
