Willow Grove resident, former fire department officer sentenced after impersonating police officer during traffic stop

A former Horsham Fire Department fire police officer has been sentenced to one year of probation after pleading guilty to impersonating a public servant during a June 2025 road-rage incident in Hatboro.

William M. McNichol, 60, of Willow Grove, admitted to unlawfully activating emergency lights on his personal vehicle and conducting an unauthorized traffic stop on a woman he believed had cut him off on Easton Road. Although McNichol was an active fire police officer at the time, prosecutors said he was off duty and had no authority to make traffic stops.

Under a plea agreement accepted by Judge Risa Vetri Ferman, McNichol will serve one year of probation, complete anger-management counseling, pay a $500 fine, and have no contact with the victim. He is no longer affiliated with the fire police.

According to investigators, McNichol followed the woman, yelled at her at multiple stoplights, and eventually activated emergency lights on his Dodge Charger, causing her to pull over. Witnesses—including an emergency responder and a member of the fire department—reported the incident to police. Surveillance footage later confirmed his vehicle’s emergency lights were on during the encounter.

McNichol initially claimed the lights were activated accidentally when a cooler shifted inside his car. He also told officers he followed the woman to confront her about her driving.

Following the incident, Horsham Fire Chief Lee Greenberg said that McNichol will no longer work for the company, according to a report. 

"None of the training or instruction Mr. McNichol received during his membership with the Fire Company would have led him to believe that his actions were appropriate, acceptable, or lawful," said Greenberg.

"We want to make it absolutely clear that Mr. Nichol acted entirely on his own and without any direction, guidance, or influence from the Fire Company," Greenberg said. "Upon learning that Mr. Nichol was to be criminally charged in this car, the Fire Company acted swiftly and decisively to terminate his membership."