A Newark Fire Department captain is accused of impersonating a law enforcement officer during two separate incidents that took place on the same day in November 2014, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced Monday.
Anthony Graves, 47, of Newark was charged with two counts of fourth-degree impersonation of a law enforcement officer.
On both the afternoon and evening of November 30, 2014, Graves conducted two motor vehicle stops, one in Hillside and the other in Newark, according to an investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Prosecutions Unit.
Graves activated the emergency lights in his Fire Department vehicle and verbally questioned both motorists, but did not issue any summonses, nor did he attempt to make any arrests.
In order to avoid any potential real or perceived conflict of interest, the investigation into this matter was transferred from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. The Special Prosecutions Unit’s investigation confirmed that Graves was not working in any official capacity at the time of either stop.
Last week, Graves was served both summonses through his attorney. Convictions on fourth-degree charges can result in penalties ranging from probation to 18 months in state prison.