Fake firefighter robbing businesses across Toronto

Watch above: Toronto Police identify man posing as fire inspector to commit thefts. Mark Carcasole reports. 

TORONTO – Police believe there’s one man robbing businesses across the city.

Jamie Barber, 37, allegedly poses as a firefighter and uses several excuses to try and gain entry to the building from changing fire extinguishers, fire alarms or, in at least one case, check whether the store’s wiring had been damaged by the ice storm.

“We were all busy and this guy came up and he wanted to gain access to check for electrical problems because of the ice storm,” David Rego, owner of D-squared Salon said. “I found it very suspicious because he didn’t have any ID on him, he just had a booklet in his hand taking notes, but I didn’t think anything of it.”

It was just a few days before New Year’s Eve so the salon was full and there wasn’t anyone who could escort the man around the store. Rego later checked his security footage and saw Barber stealing a scale from the back of the store.

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And it wasn’t the first time Barber is alleged to have hit a salon. Global News reported Monday about a downtown Toronto salon being robbed by a man with the similar excuse. In that case, the man claimed he was there to check the fire extinguisher.

“Right now we have between approximately 15 and 20 cases that we’ve identified where we believe he is the suspect,” Detective constable Amanda Annetts said in an interview Thursday. “We found that it was all over the city. He is pretending to be a fire inspector so fire extinguishers, fire alarms and sprinkler systems.”

“Essentially he has free run of their own personal affects. He’ll take wallets, laptops, tablets, whatever he can clearly carry out,” she added.

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Annetts estimates Barber could be facing between 20 and 30 charges, if he’s caught. She couldn’t put an exact number on the combined value of all the items stolen but suggested it’s well over $10,000.

The suspect is between approximately five foot seven inches tall, between 150 and 170 pounds and bald (though occasionally wears a toupee) and mimics the uniform of the officials he’s impersonating.

Police say he hasn’t been violent with anyone and when confronted leaves without incident.

– With files from Mark Carcasole