DES PLAINES, Ill. (CBS) — Police in the northwest suburbs tonight are searching for a man impersonating a police officer.

Yesterday morning a female student at Maine East says the fake cop stopped her near River and Ballard roads, and that’s not all.

It’s a stretch of road where police say a normal drive to school turned dangerous.

A police impersonator reportedly pounced on a high school student. A case that has area neighbors concerned.

“It makes me nervous,” said neighbor Michelle Braccioforte.

Police say it happened this morning.

The student was driving near Ballard and River roads when a man in a white Crown Victoria stopped her.

The student told police the car had red and blue flashing lights like a police car.

She says the man was wearing a brown uniform, clothes that had no clear police markings and that he searched her car before letting her go.

“We’re out here with the kids,” said Michelle Braccioforte. “It’s just kind of scary.”

Her family lives close Maine East where the alleged victim attends school.

The school published a warning about the fake cop after the report.

Neighbors say it’s unsettling to hear of someone nearby only pretending to protect and serve.

“If he is doing that, who knows what else he is doing?” said Antonio Braccioforte. “When it’s close to home it hits harder.”