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New York men are accused of faking a home invasion by police

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Three New York men have been arrested and accused of impersonating police officers to carry out a home invasion in Cliffside Park last month, authorities said.

Diogenes A. Rosario, 49, of New York, NY; Leonel Perez, 38, of New York, NY; and Misael Dia, 38, of Yonkers, NY, were charged with three counts of kidnapping, robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, burglary, theft, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and impersonating a law enforcement officer, the Bergen prosecutors said of the district on Monday.

At approximately 1:50 a.m. on October 12, Cliffside Park police responded to an apartment building on Crescent Lane. A joint investigation found that three men forced their way into the apartment while “wearing imitation police badges and posing as police officers,” the prosecutor said.

The suspects then tied up three victims, two of whom were under 14, while three other children slept in the apartment, authorities said. The suspects then searched the apartment and stole valuables.

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During the investigation, investigators were able to identify a stolen driver's license that the suspects used to travel to and from Cliffside Park.

On October 30, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office Special Investigations and the Bergen County Regional SWAT Team arrested Rosario at a home in Ridgefield. He was taken to the Bergen County Jail to await his court date.

At the same time, Perez was arrested across the river in New York City by the NYPD's Special Investigations Unit and officers from the 33rd Precinct. He was taken to Rikers Island Jail, where he was awaiting extradition to Bergen County.

Finally, on November 1, Diaz was arrested in Yonkers by the FBI, the Special Investigations Squad and the Yonkers Police Department and taken to the Westchester County Jail, where he awaited extradition to Bergen County.

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