Police: Bronx Man Involved In George Washington Bridge Chase Was Impersonating A Police Officer
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - A Bronx man has been slapped with charges of impersonating a police officer after he allegedly stopped and chased a snow plow driver near the George Washington Bridge, police said Tuesday.
At around 9:45 a.m. Monday, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police officers spotted a white pickup truck on the bridge with a snow plow attached. The truck was being chased by a black Honda sport-utility vehicle, which had police and strobe lights flashing, according to the PAPD.
As CBS2's Hazel Sanchez reported, Giuseppe Aiello was the one driving the snow plow. He said he felt lucky to be alive after being chased.
"I could've crashed. I could've killed somebody. I could've killed myself," said Aiello, of Cliffside Park, New Jersey. "I mean, thank God none of this stuff happened."
Aiello, 42, said he was driving the pickup truck and plow when Michael Colon, 25, stopped him at the intersection of Palisades Boulevard and 10th Street near Fort Lee, New Jersey.
Aiello said Colon accused him of hitting his SUV, but Aiello said no such thing ever happened.
"He was very aggressive. He jumped out of this car right away, and he threatened me, and I was scared for my life," Aiello said. "He stuck his hand in his jacket. I wasn't sure what he was doing."
Aiello said he took off from there, and Colon pursued him for about an hour before police finally pulled both of them over.
Aiello said he was hoping to find the real police.
"I was looking for the police," he said. "I was looking for someone to help me."
Port Authority police said the pursuit went over the George Washington Bridge into Manhattan and back again, before officers spotted the two drivers and pulled them over on Lemoine Avenue in Fort Lee.
Colon's car was flashing strobe lights, and red and white lights, on its windshield, police said.
Inside the Honda, officers found a counterfeit NYPD parking permit with NYPD logos and the words "This Vehicle is on Official NYPD Business" printed on it, the PAPD. The Honda also had a large metal detective-style badge in the windshield, the PAPD said.
"Never in my mind did I think he was a police officer," Aiello said.
Colon was arrested on charges of impersonating a police officer, forgery, eluding police, improper use of emergency lights and various traffic violations.
Aiello was also charged, after officers allegedly found a bag containing with they believed to be marijuana. He was charged with of reckless driving, driving with a suspended license, possession of drug paraphernalia and leaving the scene of an accident – even though he said no accident ever happened.
