Off-duty cop pulls up on man for looking ‘shady’ while parked in neighborhood. But one phone call has the officer retreating

Getting stopped by a police officer while you’re in your car can be nerve-wracking, especially when you may have something that can trigger a car search. But that wasn’t the case for one man, who claimed an off-duty officer ran his license plates and approached him for allegedly looking suspicious while he was in his car in a Pennsylvania neighborhood.

The incident was shared by Rafael Ocasio (@ralphy21k), whose video of the alleged interaction reached more than two million views on TikTok. In the video, Ocasio can be seen already on a call with someone on his phone before a man, whom Ocasio claimed was an off-duty officer in casual clothing and who drove an unmarked truck, appeared at the passenger-side window.

According to Ocasio, he was parked in an ungated residential street in Washington Township doing investigative work when the officer pulled up behind his car and turned on his blue lights. The officer allegedly recited Ocasio’s full name and address, which he supposedly found by running his license plate, and then proceeded to question his presence in the neighborhood.

Off-duty cop gets confronted by a state trooper

Ocasio only responded to the officer by asking why he was being questioned, to which the officer said, “Because you’re parked in a private neighborhood, and your story doesn’t make sense.” It remains unclear what was said before Ocasio began recording the incident.

Ocasio, however, claimed he was racially profiled when the officer saw his Puerto Rico flag hanging inside his car. The officer allegedly “saw it and instantly asked if I had drugs and alcohol,” Ocasio said.

The situation seemingly took an unexpected turn for the officer when the person Ocasio was calling was Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), who immediately took over the conversation and challenged the officer. The officer identified himself to the state trooper and explained the situation with Ocasio. But the trooper noted the officer’s jurisdiction was with Lower Heidelberg Township, which meant that he had no authority to question Ocasio in the neighborhood.

The trooper then told the officer that Ocasio was “legally allowed” to be in the area as he was doing investigative work. “He did not tell me that,” the officer said. But the trooper rebutted, “He doesn’t need to tell you that. You are not in your jurisdiction.”

The officer, however, maintained his reasoning for approaching Ocasio in the first place: “If somebody was parked near your house and it was shady, would you not talk to them?” In response, the trooper agreed that he would talk to them, but that he would call the jurisdiction to handle the issue.

License plates are not private information

The confrontation ended with the officer saying he would be contacting the trooper’s barracks captain the next day. The trooper took the statement in stride and said he would inform his corporal of the incident as well.

The incident left viewers thoroughly entertained and satisfied by the police encounter, attributing it to the state trooper’s unexpected appearance. “God, this was so f***** satisfying,” one commenter said. Another chimed in, saying, “I need whoever on that phone.”

The majority of viewers agreed that Ocasio should sue the officer. “He illegally ran your plates…. Sue time!” one commenter wrote.

Generally, license plates are not considered private information nor violate any privacy rights, so an officer cannot be sued for running a license plate without probable cause, according to JD Power. However, there needs to be reasonable cause for an officer to stop a vehicle and question an individual.

When it comes to filing a lawsuit against an off-duty officer, the plaintiff will need to prove that the officer was acting under color of law, such as using their uniform, badge, or police-issued equipment to assert authority over an individual. It’s important to distinguish whether the off-duty officer was acting in an official capacity or as a private citizen. Police departments also have their own internal policies, which can affect how the report will play out.

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