Surveillance video captured a woman chasing after an alleged police impersonator who investigators say stole her purse.
The 36-year-old woman was walking on 52nd and Cedar streets in the Cobbs Creek section of the city Friday at 7:25 p.m. when she was approached by an unidentified man who displayed a police type badge, investigators said. The man told the woman to place her purse on the ground, according to officials. After she did so, the man grabbed the purse and fled, police said.
The woman, who did not want to be identified, told NBC10 she ran after the suspect and grabbed the side of his getaway car, a dark-colored Nissan Altima, but fell onto the street as it drove off.
Investigators say the suspect also robbed a worker at a car dealership in Darby about an hour after stealing the woman’s purse. They also say he stole money from a victim inside a home on the 5400 block of Chestnut Street Thursday.
During those incidents, the man also carried a badge, pretending he was a police officer, according to investigators. Officials believe the suspect had insider information on all of his victims including their names and the fact that they carried cash.
The alleged police impersonator is described as a man with an athletic build standing 5-foot-8. He was last seen wearing a light gray hooded sweatshirt with an orange shirt underneath, tan camouflage cargo pants, and a dark-colored New York Yankees baseball cap.
Police are also searching for the male getaway driver but have not yet released a detailed description of him.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
If you have any information on the thefts, please call the Southwest Detective Division at 215-686-3183/3184.
