Pennsylvania firefighter makes fake traffic stop after road-rage incident

🚨William McNichol pulled over a woman after a road rage incident, police say

🚨He was terminated as a firefighter with Horsham Fire Co. 1

🚨The emergency lights in his car went on accidentally, McNichol said

HATBORO, Pa. — A volunteer firefighter who made his own police stop after a road rage incident was later arrested by real officers.

Hatboro police said William McNichol, 60, a member of Horsham Fire Co. 1, used the emergency lights on his own Dodge Charger to pull another driver over on York Road at Byberry Road in the downtown section of Hatboro on June 21.

Details of the road rage incident were not disclosed.

Disappointment from the community

Court documents obtained by NBC Philadelphia show McNichol said he was cut off by a woman on Easton Road (Route 611) and followed her because he wanted to tell her she was driving dangerously. When she pulled over he noticed the emergency lights were on because the cooler in his car had fell turning on the lights.

Fire Chief Lee Greenburg terminated McNichol's employment after learning of the fake road rage incident. In a statement, Greenburg stressed there was nothing in McNichol's training would lead him to believe that such an action was acceptable.

"Horsham Fire Co. 1 has not, and will not, 'cover for our guy.' We hold the public's trust as our highest priority and we understand and acknowledge the concerns and disappointment expressed by our community," Greenberg said in a written statement.

McNichol was charged with impersonating a public servant and harassment. His first court hearing is Aug. 21.

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