Is this legal?

[Computer]

I live in the state of new jersey and i was walking into a park with my friends at night. A guy in a pickup truck came and told me to stay right there and not to move. He said the parks closed at nite and we said alright and started to leave. He said wait right there. So we waited. He called the police and the cop came 15 minutes later and told us not to come again. We left and said alright. The guy in the pickup truck was not a cop, i think but he didnt show any badges or anything. My question to u is legally would i have had to wait there if the guy said to. I mean it was in a dark area and i didnt know who the guy was or what he was doing. So would it be against the law to leave if he said he was calling the cops? P.s we werent in the park yet.

[MORA Ranger]

I would've told that guy to pound sand and I would've left. If he complained I would've asked him who the heck he was that I had to do what he said. And then I would've continued to leave. He didn't give you a lawful order if you can't tell if he's an officer.

[Metallic4]

I would ignored the guy unless he presented himself as a parks official or peace officer. No way I'm gonna wait around by some strange guy in a pickup though for 15 mins.

[Whitewolf1970]

i was walking into a park with my friends at night. P.s we werent in the park yet.

walking into a park/weren't in the park. Did you entered the park or did not enter the park yet?

The guy didn't have the rights to stop you and wait for a cop to come. The guy is not a cop. I had one incident myself. The truck's driver tried to stop me, I said go ahead and call the cop. The officers came by and listend to his false story that I was loiterin' around the park. There were few people in the park. One of the cops laughed at him, and warned him that he have no rights to stop me. They told me to go home in a nice voice. The driver was stunned. He didn't have any rights to stop me. And besides I don't loitering around in the park at night. I merely walked around the park where the trail is for running or walking. So in your case, the guy is NOT a cop and does not have any legal rights to stop you if you did not commit any crime. He probably WISH you go to slammers.

BTW, just ignore any strange guy who WISH someone go to a slammer. If he stopped you, tell him to show you the badge, if not, go away and do not stay here and wait. He makes you look like you did the crimes. If it happens again and again, talk to the PD's sergeant or chief regarding the citizen's behavior calling the cops on you for no reason and the guy has no legal rights to stop you. The time and place is a must so they can look it up and ask some officers regarding the citizen's calls to them. It WORKS.

[Recondo]

hell..I would have called 9-11 and reported a stange person in a pick up truck representing himself as a LEO and attempting to unlawfully detain people, give discription,etc...I would imagine that would get the attention he so obviously craves..in a big hurry!...sometimes you simply need to turn the tables on the village idiots of the world.
Recondo

[jrenter]

If you weren't on the park 'grounds', why would it be such a problem for this guy to phone the cops to say that the park is closed? I don't quite get it. :( I would have told the guy to go stuff it. :-P hehe

[ryanhj]

hell..I would have called 9-11 and reported a stange person in a pick up truck representing himself as a LEO and attempting to unlawfully detain people, give discription,etc...I would imagine that would get the attention he so obviously craves..in a big hurry!...sometimes you simply need to turn the tables on the village idiots of the world.
Recondo

I agree with Recondo, I would never wait 15 minutes at night with a potentially very dangerous person!

According to state law (as I understand it in my state) a citizen can only make a citizen's arrest if he directly views a person committing a felony. Being in a park after closing is definitly not a felony so you did not have to wait for the police to come--you would not be breaking any laws at all. In fact, he might have been breaking the law if he kept you from being able to leave!

[Whitewolf1970]

Yep, ryanhj is right. The guy cannot detain you. I would call it "unlawfully detained a person." The cop should arrest him for a false call.

[SnowLeopard]

In direct answer to the question, of whether someone had to wait for the cops to show up because an unidentified person told them to wait, no.

But beyound that, is there an issue? Not really but it helps to know the limits.

We have a stop light here with two lanes of traffic. In the right most lane, people usually turn right because it is a major access and if you are waiting to turn right, you might get burned up because someone going straight is blocking the road way.

One day, there a young man out on the side walk there in a lawn chair with a hand written sign that said "right turn only". Was there anything illegal about this?

No. The young man was not obstructing traffic. His statement of right turn only was an opinion and neither legally binding nor had any power to force people to make a right turn; it was just an expressed opinion. He was not unlawfully forcing a change in the traffic pattern.

The catch is that any motorist who saw that sign and wanted to go straight would have to realize that the young man had no power, was not legally binding, to effect a change in their action.

The free statement of words is, for the most part, guaranteed under the first amendment. The catch is that the rest of us have got to realize that it is just one person's opinion that often is not legally binding.
----------------------------------------
("That is one opinion, Commander. It does not happen to be mine!"--Adama, (wtte), Battlestar Galactica: The Living Legend)

[Computer]

Dc if your going to follow my posts around and bash me all the time than that doesnt seem very mature.

[Metallic4]

Computer,
After reviewing your posts, I think DC has a valid point. You have some pretty thin skin for someone wanting to be a LEO.

[Recondo]

Thanks DC...yea the answer to his initial question was all too easy...and it didnt even take me 15 minutes waiting in the dark at nite, to think of what I would do...jeez!

[TheLivingJuliet]

you can follow someone's posts? wow, what a wonderful form of stalking! and how do i do this?

[mcsap]

Stalking ?? It's called being on patrol here.

[Computer]

Its called you dont know and this is an online forum. So tx for telling me how i am in real life.