Firefighter terminated after being charged with impersonating police officer

HATBORO, Pa. (WPVI) -- A Horsham, Pennsylvania, fire captain has been terminated after he allegedly tried to pull a driver over in his personal vehicle during an apparent road rage incident, according to police.

William McNichol, 60, was charged with impersonating a public servant and harassment on July 2.

According to court documents, a woman told police she was driving on Easton Road in Horsham Township back on June 21 when a driver in a Dodge Charger started to follow her.

The victim believed the other driver, later identified by police as McNichol, believed he was cut off.

McNichol is accused of following the victim and getting out of his vehicle twice to yell at the woman.

At one point, authorities say the suspect activated his emergency lights while following the victim on York Road into Hatboro. The victim told police she thought she was being lawfully pulled over by a police officer.

While holding a portable radio on the side of the road, Hatboro police say McNichol continued to yell at the victim about her driving behavior.

In an interview with police, McNichol allegedly told police that his lights accidentally activated when his cooler fell inside the vehicle. He claimed he was "dangerously cut off" and was following the driver to tell the operator "how dangerous her driving was," court documents allege.

Police were able to tie McNichol to the incident through surveillance video, interviews and dispatch records.

McNichol was later identified as a fire police officer for the Horsham Fire Company No. 1. He was assigned to regulate traffic or crowds at active fire scenes.

Lee Greenberg, who is the chief of the fire company, called McNichol's alleged actions "troubling," adding that he was being terminated due to the criminal investigation.

"None of the training or instruction Mr. McNichol received during his membership with the Fire Company would have led him to believe that his actions were appropriate, acceptable, or lawful," said Greenberg.

"We just really want to instill to the public that this should not be a reflection on the rest of the department. This is one former member's bad decision-making," Greenberg added.

A preliminary hearing is set for August 21.