Charges dropped against man accused of impersonating cop to enter Woodmere synagogue

Charges were dismissed against a Far Rockaway man who had been accused of impersonating a police officer when he tried to walk into a Woodmere synagogue on the morning of Aug. 12, 2017, police said.

Mikhail Mikhaylov, 29, was charged with second-degree criminal impersonation, Nassau County police said in a news release.

Police said Mikhaylov was wearing a blue baseball cap marked “NYPD” on the front and “police” on the side, as well as handcuffs and a pepper spray case on his belt. He tried to enter Young Israel of Woodmere on Peninsula Boulevard around 11 a.m. but was stopped by a security guard, police said. He showed the guard what appeared to be an NYPD detective shield, but when the guard asked for further police identification, Mikhaylov walked back to his car and drove away, police said.

Police arrested him Aug. 13, 2017, in Cedarhurst, the release said.

Charges were dismissed against Mikhaylov in February 2019.