Woman Lied About Being Stopped By Fake Cop In Cherry Hill: Police

CHERRY HILL, NJ — A Haddonfield woman has been charged with lying to police after claiming she was grabbed by the neck by a police impersonator during a traffic stop last week, Cherry Hill police announced on Monday.

Samantha Roman has been charged with making false statements, police announced. Roman had claimed that a white Ford van with red and blue LED warning lights in the grill and on the rear doors pulled her over while she was driving on Route 38 just after 1 p.m. on Aug. 16.

She went on to say that a man wearing a blue shirt with the word "POLICE" written across the front approached the driver's side door of the car, reached inside her car, and grabbed her by the neck before she was able to speed off. Read more here: Police Impersonator Grabbed Woman By The Neck In Cherry Hill: Police

Police were able to identify the van as a federal corrections vehicle, police said on Monday. The officers inside the van were on-duty and completing a prisoner transport at the time of the reported incident, police said.

After multiple interviews with detectives, Roman admitted she was lying, police said. She confirmed the officers in the van had no contact with her and no traffic stop ever took place, police said.

Cherry Hill police worked with the Bureau of Federal Prisons to identify the corrections officers, who said they had no knowledge of Roman or her car, police said.

As a result, Roman was charged on a complaint summons for making false statements to police and scheduled for an appearance in Superior Court.

The description Roman had provided to police was similar to the description of a man accused of impersonating a police officer when he stopped women in Brick and Wall. That investigation continues. Read more here: Police Impersonator Pulling Over Women In Brick, Wall: Police

“The Cherry Hill Police Department would like to thank the public and our community partners for the numerous tips offered in this investigation,” police said in a prepared statement. “The police department will continue to investigate all reported crimes, especially those which affect the public’s trust.”