North Reading Man Charged After Allegedly Impersonating Police Officer, Showing Gun to Truck Driver

A 49-year-old North Reading man was arraigned in Woburn District Court on Monday after he allegedly impersonated a police officer and took out a gun during a parking dispute on Main Street.

Joseph V. Amato, Jr., 49, of North Reading, was arraigned “on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, impersonating a police officer and disorderly conduct. Woburn District Court Judge Cesar Archilla ordered the defendant held on $500 cash bail with the condition that he have no contact with the victim or witnesses,” according to Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan’s office.

Amato allegedly argued with a delivery truck driver over a parking space in a parking lot on Main Street on Sunday. He allegedly told the driver that he was a detective, showed a gun and threatened the truck driver with arrest, according to the DA’s office.

North Reading Police received calls about the dispute. They responded to the scene, stopped Amato’s car and arrested the man.

“The defendant’s action in allegedly identifying himself as a police officer was a ploy to intimidate a stranger,” District Attorney Ryan said. “Police officers earn the trust of citizens every day, and the title of police officer should not be disrespected by this kind of alleged incident.”

“This was a potentially dangerous situation, in which an individual allegedly made a delivery driver, who was just doing his job, fear for his life over a parking space, and in doing so, this suspect allegedly made himself out to be a police officer,” said North Reading Police Chief Michael Murphy. “The North Reading Police Department takes police impersonation very seriously and will not allow individuals like this to harm the reputation of law enforcement.”