State troopers are asking residents of Glynn and Camden counties to be on the lookout for Frederick Mark Parisi.
The 55-year-old man stands accused of impersonating a law enforcement officer and investigators believe he may have pulled random people over.
“Along Coastal Georgia and up the coast of the United States, this man had been involved in things,” Camden County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Larry Bruce said.
News4Jax has learned this isn’t the first time Parisi has been under investigation for impersonating a police officer.
Parisi was already a fugitive wanted by police in New Jersey when he was taken into custody by Georgia State Patrol on that fugitive warrant.
Then on Wednesday, Georgia authorities secured multiple warrants against Parisi in connection to allegations of impersonating an officer. The GBI and the FBI have been asked to help with the investigation.
According to Georgia State Patrol, Parisi was employed as a security guard at the Jekyll Island Club Resort. He reportedly walked into a Georgia State Patrol (GSP) office and presented himself as a retired Iowa state trooper with more than 30 years of law enforcement experience. During his visit, GSP became aware of Parisi driving a dark-colored Ford Explorer with blue police lights. Troopers said they warned Parisi that it was illegal to use the blue lights without a permit. But despite their warning, troopers said Parisi used the blue lights and was asked not to drive the vehicle on the island.
GSP said last week it started receiving complaints about a suspected police impersonator who was pulling over cars in Camden County. They ran Parisi’s name and discovered he was a convicted felon with outstanding warrants for assault and fraud in New Jersey. They dug deeper and learned Parisi had a history of being under investigation for impersonating a police officer.
According to their findings, Parisi was previously convicted in New Jersey for impersonating a US Secret Service Agent. He obtained a genuine set of Secret Service credentials to make a fake set for himself, investigators said. He was caught when he tried to use the credentials to get out of a traffic ticket. In the late 90s he was convicted of impersonating a Jersey City police officer while repossessing cars. A year prior to that conviction, he was dismissed from the Passiac New Jersey Police dept. for allegedly falsifying documents. And although Parisi allegedly told GPS he was a retired Iowa State Trooper, investigators said they learned he was fired within his first year on the job.
News4JAX has also learned the Camden County Sheriff’s Office has a history with Parisi.
“He came into our office and wanted to apply for a permit to run a blue light. I said you can’t do that. He had already been impersonating. He also came to us several months ago and put in a job application. We rejected him based on prohibitive criminal history,” CCSO Col. Chuck Byerley said.
Byerley said the agency was already aware of the previous investigations into impersonating a police officer when they learned about another previous investigation but this time in Florida.
Bruce said when people impersonate law enforcement officers, it makes the job of his deputies that much harder, especially when those deputies are trying to pull people over for legitimate reasons.
“The deputies have a hard enough job on a daily basis without having to deal with people imitating their actions as law enforcement when they are not law enforcement,” Bruce said.
In addition to the current assault and fraud charges in New Jersey, Parisi will also face state charges in Georgia that include impersonating an officer, giving false statements to law enforcement, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon and unauthorized use of blue lights while operating a vehicle.
Investigators say if any Glynn or Camden County resident watching this story was pulled over by Parisi -- and can provide the date and time they were pulled over, they need to contact the authorities at (912) 554-7600.
Also, if an unmarked vehicle is trying to pull you over and you’re not sure it’s legit, you are asked to call 911 and stay on the line with the operator.
A 911 operator should be able to verify if the vehicle behind you is an actual patrol unit.