Crime & Safety

Man Arrested for Impersonating Fire Marshal, Cop in Garden City

The owner of a fire restoration business was angling for business when he pretended to be an official on two occasions.

A Merrick man was arrested Friday for impersonating a fire marshal and police officer in Garden City.

Garden City detectives said that Christopher Charles of Merrick, who owns a fire restoration business, said he was a fire marshal when he met a victim whose home in Garden City caught fire on Oct. 31. He tried to get the victim to sign a public adjuster's contract.

A day later, Charles identified himself as a Hempstead cop when he called Garden City police to ask them for help in removing a car parked in front of the home that had caught on fire. That was done in an attempt to stop the resident from hiring a competitor, police said.

Charles is being charged with criminal impersonation, 1st degree, and criminal impersonation, 2nd degree.

He will be arraigned Saturday at First District Court in Hempstead.


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