Far Rockaway man arrested over YIW intrusion

A Far Rockaway man who allegedly identified himself as a police officer and attempted to enter the Young Israel of Woodmere during Shabbos services, was arrested in Cedarhurst, according to police.

At 11:05 am on Saturday, a YIW security guard saw a man park in a restricted area and try to get into the synagogue.

The security guard approached the man and saw that he was wearing a blue baseball cap with the letters NYPD on the front and the word Police on the side, and had handcuffs and a mace case on his belt, and identified himself as a “cop,” police said.

The man showed the guard what appeared to be a NYPD detective shield. When the guard asked for police identification, the man went back to his vehicle and left.

On Aug. 13, police arrested a 29-year-old suspect in Cedarhurst. He is being charged with criminal impersonation second-degree.

YIW distributed a statement to its members after the incident which said:

“We want to inform you of a situation that took place this past Shabbos. A person came to our shul building impersonating a police officer. Our YIW CSS security team, who are trained to be on the alert at all times, questioned this individual and the Police Dept. was contacted. …

“As always, safety and security are our priorities. We want to assure you that we take all precautions possible in safeguarding our shul and members.”