A woman left internet users shocked after revealing that she was pulled over by a black Ford Explorer disguised as a police vehicle on a highway in Brooklyn, New York.
In a rant posted on her TikTok profile, Maritza shared a short clip of the vehicle with emergency lights turned on behind the rear windshield before explaining what happened to her. “This fake car pulled me over today. This is the second time and I’m not dealing with this anymore,” she said at the beginning of the video.
Maritza then explained that she was traveling from Staten Island to Brooklyn with her children in the high-occupancy vehicle lane when she noticed a black Ford Explorer behind her, turning on its emergency lights only when it wanted to pass other vehicles.
When they reached an area near the Brooklyn Bridge, where the lane briefly opens up to allow traffic to merge, the Explorer stopped and activated its emergency lights, ordering Maritza to pull over.
When both vehicles stopped, Maritza realized something was wrong when she saw that the Explorer’s driver was a “white man” in his 50s or 60s, wearing glasses and who “had an accent,” according to her.
“He starts yelling at me, saying: ‘You shouldn’t be in my lane, why are you so close to me, you shouldn’t even be in my lane, I could arrest you,’” Maritza recounted.
“Then he didn’t see my kids in the back — I’m driving a Wagoneer that’s very colorful in the back, my kids are sleeping, and then my son wakes up like, ‘What’s going on?’”
At that moment, she decided to question whether he was really a law enforcement officer. “So I look at him and say, ‘Are you even a police officer?’” Maritza said. He continued ranting that he “could arrest her,” but the moment she decided to pull out her phone to record the situation, he got back into his car and drove away with the emergency lights still on.
Posted in late October, Maritza’s account has already racked up more than 390,000 views. In the comments, some users explained what may actually have happened to her, and it all appears to be related to Hatzolah, a Jewish emergency medical NGO.
“Hatzolah equips personal vehicles with lights and sirens. Some of them are licensed EMTs, but some are just acting like police officers to do exactly what you’re describing. I dealt with them for years, they think they own Brooklyn,” one TikTok user commented.
“That’s definitely Hatzolah. They drive around Staten Island, most of them work and park not too far from my job,” said another. “That’s exactly what that car is, Hatzolah. The siren sounds the same as an ambulance. They think that just because they have money, the law doesn’t apply to them,” lamented a third user.
It is worth emphasizing that the use of emergency lights and sirens is strictly regulated, and their activation is typically reserved only for legitimate emergency responses.
Using these devices to intimidate other drivers or to facilitate personal convenience in traffic can constitute multiple traffic violations and potentially result in criminal charges.
Additionally, impersonating a police officer is a serious crime in the State of New York, leading to possible criminal prosecution.
Even if the operator was not claiming to be a police officer, the use of emergency equipment to stop and confront other drivers raises significant legal concerns.
For this reason, if you encounter a car disguised as a police vehicle, Maritza’s advice is clear: “Try to get the license plate number and don’t engage.” After obtaining the driver’s information, file an official police report about the incident.
@maritza_bk718 People that do this have to be stopped. This happens a lot in NYC!! #nycdrivers #nyc #nypd #newyorkcity #brooklyn #fakearrest #fake #fraud ♬ original sound – Maritza
Photo and video: TikTok @maritza_bk718. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
