Man Impersonating Correction Officer Busted with Guns, Drugs in Mott Haven

By Kevin Deutsch
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A man impersonating a retired city correction officer was caught with illegal guns and drugs in the Bronx Sunday, his ruse ending when he flashed a fake badge, police said.

NYPD officers caught up with Hector Vazquez, 54, after they got a 911 call about a man with a gun on East 137th Street shortly before 3 p.m.

There, they found Vazquez carrying stun guns, a loaded handgun, an imitation pistol, and flashing the imitation shield, police said.

Vazquez told cops he was a retired correction officer. But when they checked his story out with the real Department of Correction, it proved a lie, police said.

Vazquez, who never worked for the agency, was charged with gun and drug possession.

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea praised the arresting officers for sniffing our Vazquez’s lies.

“Their actions undoubtedly prevented other crimes, making the Bronx a little safer,” Shea said in a Tweet.

About Kevin Deutsch 265 Articles
Kevin Deutsch is a Staff Writer for Bronx Justice News covering the criminal justice system, drugs, and DNA use by law enforcement. An award-winning journalist, Deutsch is the author of the true crime books "Pill City" and "The Triangle." He has worked on staff at the Daily News, Miami Herald, Newsday, The Palm Beach Post, and The Riverdale Press. His work has also appeared in Newsweek, Columbia Journalism Review, The New York Times, The Village Voice, The Forward, The Independent, Huffington Post, Orlando Sentinel, and the New York Post, among other publications. His numerous television appearances include spots on CNN, MSNBC, and C-SPAN's BookTV. He has also been featured in The New Yorker. A Bronx resident, Deutsch hosts the true crime podcast "A Dark Turn" on the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network.