It’s not just keys to the city that are being sold online. Everything you need to impersonate a New York City firefighter is also a click away.
The bustling market in authentic FDNY outfits includes turnout coats, bunker pants, helmets, a captain’s hat and, for the fireman about town, a snappy navy-blue dress coat with silver buttons.
It’s all standard equipment provided by the Fire Department — and a potential gold mine for criminals and terrorists, law-enforcement experts say.
One week after The Post exposed the sale of fire-service keys to elevators, subways and electrical boxes, plenty of deals could be had on eBay and Craigslist for FDNY clothing and accessories, which the department doesn’t want the public to own.
An eBay seller sold an undercover Post reporter a department-issued trench coat even after the site canceled the online purchase.
eBay sent him an e-mail saying it didn’t want to facilitate the “impersonation” of a first responder by allowing an “authentic” item to be bought.
But seller Albert Levit arranged a meeting at his Staten Island home, where he took $140 in cash for the brand-new coat.
“I got it from a friend whose dad worked for the Fire Department,” he explained. “He was just giving it away.”
Two days later, eBay reversed its order and reinstated the sale, saying Levit’s listing was “taken down in error.”
A Craigslist seller peddled a worn black firefighter jacket with reflective stripes, saying, “I bought this at a charity auction after 9/11 and it has been hanging in my closet since.”
One can also purchase the same boots used by smoke-eaters and the same Motorola radios.
All of which worries crime experts.
“The sad fact is that most people see a person in uniform as legitimate and don’t stop to ask for ID,” said John Jay professor and former NYPD cop Eugene O’Donnell.
“That means access to homes, buildings, subways. And in any rapidly unfolding situation, you could use the appearance of authority to cause real mayhem.”
The FDNY says its members are obligated to return all department-issued apparel and protective gear, and selling it is “prohibited and illegal” — the property belongs to the department — and subject to investigation by fire marshals, said FDNY spokesman Frank Gribbon.
But there’s been no crackdown on the sales, despite calls for action in 2005 after crazed journalist Peter Braunstein donned a firefighter suit he bought online and set off smoke bombs to get into the Chelsea apartment of a former colleague. He overpowered the woman with chloroform and sexually tormented her for hours — all with the help of the gear he found on eBay.
Craigslist did not respond to requests for comment. The eBay rep claimed that none of the items violated the site’s policy.
“Uniforms for the FDNY are allowed,” said eBay spokesperson Kari Ramirez. “We do prohibit the sale of law-enforcement badges or equipment . . . including military police uniforms.”
Helmet: $468
* Detail: Brand-new, 100 percent leather FDNY helmet with brass eagle shield and plexiglass eye guard fromLadder 18 on Lower East Side. Sold on site Casque de Pompier Americain run by Fabrice Duveau in La Rochelle, France.
Bunker jacket: $100
* Detail: Authentic FDNY jacket—“heavy-duty stuff and has seen some action.” Seller on Lower East Side claims on Craigslist to have bought item at charity auction after 9/11.
Bunker pants: $150
* Detail: Brand-new black turnout pants with thermal liner and 50-inch waist. Sold by eBay user “fd1station.”
Fireman’s boots: $79
* Detail: Steel-toed, extra thick rubber boots with lining made by Black Diamond — the supplier of FDNY boots. Knee-length, size 8, lightly used but “in great shape.” Sold by eBay user “fishingontheroad.”