Men on Long Island pretend to be police to rob family of thousands, police say

EAST MEADOW, Long Island (WABC) -- Police on Long Island are investigating after they say two men impersonated police to get into a family's home and rob them on Tuesday.

While outside his Little Whaleneck Road home in East Meadow around 4:30 p.m., police say a 78-year-old Vietnamese man who speaks little English was approached by a man dressed in a black uniform shirt and black pants. The victim, Trinh Nguyen, was reportedly raking leaves at the time.

The man went with the victim into the house, where they met the victim's son, who speaks English. According to the Nassau County Police Department, the suspect told the son that he was there to search the home and asked if there were any guns, knives or drugs in the home.

The suspect then used a radio to ask another suspect, dressed like the first man, to come into the home. After displaying what looked like a police badge, the suspect told the son to gather the family -- including his 73-year-old mother and 43-year-old sister, who is mentally disabled -- in a downstairs bathroom and stay there.

The victims waited in the bathroom for 30 minutes, and when they came out, the suspects had left. They found that $850 had been taken from the son's wallet and $3,000 was taken from the father's room.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call 1-800-244-TIPS.