A Somerset County sheriff's officer was charged with several offenses and lost his sports car in a contentious traffic stop during which he allegedly yelled at officers and repeatedly "flexed his chest" at them.

The trouble began July 10 when police in Mansfield Township pulled over a Jeep with a license plate that wasn't on file, according to reports filed by officers who responded to the scene.

The driver, Jonathan S. Herrera, of Flushing, New York, told the officer he had just bought the Jeep on eBay and was on his way to get it registered. The passenger chimed in that the Jeep belonged to his dad and he was helping the buyer get to the nearest Motor Vehicle Commission office.

When asked for his license, the passenger handed the officer "two gold cards" and stated, "My dad is a police officer for Somerset County and my mom works for Clinton Township. The cards were courtesy cards provided to families of police officers. When asked again for his license, the passenger provided it.

The 17-year-old passenger's full name was redacted from the police report provided in response to an Open Public Records Act request. He told the officer his dad had placed the problematic plate on the vehicle figuring "it was better than driving around with no plate at all" while they traveled to the MVC.

Police decided to have the Jeep towed while they checked the VIN to make sure it hadn't been stolen.

As this was going on, Somerset County Sheriff's Sgt. Scott Tozzi, 42, of Glen Gardner, pulled up the scene in a red Porsche.

"Flexing his chest with his fists clenched just above the waistline," Tozzi allegedly "approached/charged" at the officers demanding, "I want to know who the cop I'm dealing with is," police wrote in their report.

When officers told him to calm down or face arrest, Tozzi replied "Don't you talk about arrests, buddy."

Tozzi was told to leave the scene and repeatedly ordered to calm down, police said.

As an officer called for backup, Tozzi allegedly said, "Who do you think, didn't he tell you I was on the job?"

The officer explained why the Jeep was being towed, but Tozzi remained visibly angry.

"Scott Tozzi was advised of his mannerisms, to which he yelled, 'Cuz I'm mad,' and continued to flex his chest and clench his fists more so," an officer wrote.

Still fuming, Tozzi returned to his Porsche and got inside, stating, "I'm going to go in here, because if you heard, if you knew what I thought. I'm going to stay in here."

As police prepared to write Tozzi a ticket for disorderly conduct, they ran the plate on the Porsche and found that it was also unregistered. Tozzi could not provide proof of insurance for the car, either.

That vehicle was also towed and impounded.

Even though his son told the officers his dad was a sheriff's officer and showed them the "family gold cards," Tozzi never stated he was a cop and even denied he was one, police said.

Tozzi was issued municipal citations for obstructing administration of law, disorderly conduct, careless driving, failure to produce insurance and registration, using fictitious plates and driving an unregistered vehicle.

He ripped up his court summonses, police noted.

Herrera was issued summonses for fictitious plates and unregistered vehicle.

A Somerset County spokeswoman referred questions about Tozzi's case to Sheriff Frank Provenzano, who did not respond to requests for comment.

Tozzi joined the sheriff's department in 1999 and his current salary is $104,504, according to state pension records.

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips.