BEAVER COUNTY, Pa. — The Independence Township Fire Department in Beaver County is warning motorists of a suspicious man claiming to be Sheik who needs gas money.
Patrick Reilly said he was driving with his family on Rural Route 30 near Newman Road after church service Sunday when he saw a man whose car appeared to have broken down.
He said he did what people in town typically do when they see someone parked on the side of the road: He asked the man if he needed help.
“A guy came up to me,” Riley said, “I rolled down my window and he said, ‘I’m out of gas. Can you give me some money?’ And I said, ‘No.'”
Riley offered to give him gas instead, but that’s when the man became enraged.
“He got out of his car, grabbed my hand, put a gold ring in my hand and said, ‘I’ll give you this if you give me money.’
Riley then told the man to leave him alone.
“He said something in his native language, got into the car and then miraculously the car started up and drove off,” Ms Riley said.
The man reportedly claimed to be from Dubai, and Riley said he was wearing an expensive suit, a Rolex and driving a black SUV with Alabama license plates.
A woman took photos of the man and his SUV and shared them on social media, writing that the same thing happened to her near the DJ’s Quick Stop convenience store off Route 30 in Clinton.
Fire Chief Jeri New saw the post and issued a warning to others on the volunteer fire department’s Facebook page.
Within minutes, she said, at least four people had commented with the same story, claiming that a man who claimed he was out of petrol had tried to get them to hand over cash.
“Everyone is describing the same gentleman claiming to be a sheikh from Dubai,” New said.
Another woman wrote in a Facebook post that she saw a suspicious man on Route 18 near Route 151. She said he was aggressive and reached for her car, then sped off.
New urges people to be vigilant and to report any similar suspicious encounters to police.
“It’s just frustrating,” New said. “All we can do is get the word out and keep people safe.”
The fire department has not received any reports of money being lost.
Channel 11 reached out to state police to see if they were aware of the incident and investigating, but did not hear back.
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