Man arrested for impersonating police officer after making illegal traffic stop in Hatboro

Man arrested for impersonating police officer after making illegal traffic stop

William McNichol, 60, is facing charges after police say he made an unlawful traffic stop following a road rage incident.

HATBORO, Pa. - Police in Hatboro say a man is facing charges for impersonating a police officer after he allegedly conducted an illegal traffic stop following a road rage incident.

What we know:

Surveillance cameras captured the moments William McNichol, 61, a former fire police officer with Horsham Fire Company, used his emergency lights to pull over a driver following an alleged road rage incident, court documents say.

Police say McNichol was not on duty and had no authority as a Pennsylvania fire police officer to perform traffic stops.

"If you’re not at a fire scene or engaged in your duties, you have the same responsibilities as any ordinary citizen, and he chose not to do that in this case," says Chief Mark Ruegg, of the Hatboro Police Department.

Timeline:

Documents say back on Saturday, June 21, a local EMT witnessed the traffic stop near South York Road and Byberry Road in Hatboro. He said he saw McNichol holding a portable radio outside of his Dodge Charger, that had illuminated emergency lights, yelling at the driver he had pulled over.

Hatboro Police say they launched an investigation and detectives tracked that driver down. Documents say the woman told police she turned onto Easton Road in Horsham Township, when another driver, later identified as McNichol, felt that she had cut him off. She told police that McNichol followed her and in two separate instances, got out and yelled at her. She saw that he activated his emergency lights, so she pulled over, thinking he was with the police, documents say.

What they're saying:

"There were multiple opportunities for this individual to disengage, or do the proper thing if someone was violating traffic laws, which would be to pull over, gather as much information as possible, and contact 911," says Chief Ruegg.

The Horsham Fire Company says McNichol was a volunteer fire police officer for about 10 years, responsible for traffic control and scene control at emergencies only.

Chief Lee Greenberg says he was suspended when the investigation launched, and removed his membership after he was criminally charged.

"There is no justification, no matter what happened, for any of this to happen," he says. "We take public trust very seriously and while this was an unfortunate happening, we do not want this to upset the folks that they don’t trust the Horsham Fire Company when we respond to an emergency."

The other side:

Danton Moyer, a criminal defense attorney representing McNichol, sent FOX 29 the following statement:

"It is unfortunate that so often the accused's presumption of innocence and due process are eliminated by the reporting of unsubstantiated allegations. It is especially unfortunate that a man like Mr. McNichol, who had served his community for almost ten years, is being reduced to one unproven allegation.

We ask the public, and the potential jury pool, to reserve judgment until evidence is established in a courtroom as required by law. We look forward to litigating this case at the preliminary hearing, which is currently scheduled for August 21st."