Philadelphia Man Indicted For Impersonating a Federal Officer

A former Philadelphia school police officer has been charged with impersonating a federal agent at the site of a deadly Amtrak crash.

Michael Alvaro accessed the crash scene on May 12 by pretending to be an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to an indictment filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia.

The indictment alleges Alvaro approached two officers at the site, saying he was with ATF. One asked Alvaro to watch the impact zone. When the detective returned, Alvaro was gone.

Eight people were killed when the speeding train hit a curve and derailed.

The Philadelphia Daily News reports Alvaro is a former Air Force police officer and worked in Philadelphia schools.

Alvaro's lawyer Kevin Harden says he has no comment.