UNION TOWNSHIP, HUNTERDON COUNTY — A Paterson man who claimed to be an undercover detective during a traffic stop has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of impersonating a police officer.

The charge against Veljko Kitanovski of Paterson stems from a motor vehicle stop on Aug. 1. According to a statement from Hunterdon County Prosecutor Anthony P. Kearns, Kitanovski was pulled over by New Jersey State Troopers on I-78 in Union Township.

During the investigation, prosecutors say Kitanovski told the trooper he was an undercover detective for the Paterson Police Department. His story fell apart when the trooper was unable to obtain any identification from the driver. In addition, police learned through a check of Kitanovski’s record, that he had been driving with a suspended license, authorities said.

In a statement, the prosecutor said he commends the troopers at the scene "for their efforts and diligence in checking up on Mr. Kitanovski’s claims. Someone falsely portraying himself as a police officer is a serious offense and is of great concern to legitimate law enforcement agencies as well as the general public.”

On Oct. 27, a Hunterdon County Grand Jury returned an indictment against Kitanovski, charging him with a fourth degree crime.

Toniann Antonelli is a social content producer for NJ 101.5. She can be reached at toniann.antonelli@townsquaremedia.com, or on Twitter @ToniRadio1015.

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