Police said the escort Friday night was requested by the hip-hop star’s dry cleaner, who asked several officers before the sergeant agreed.

One police van escorted Combs from the Hammerstein Ballroom to just near the entrance for the Lincoln Tunnel. The department says claims that several officers escorted Combs to New Jersey are false.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg says security is the only reason anyone should get a police escort.

A representative for Combs had no comment.

Police officials in Washington, D.C., attracted attention when they recently gave actor Charlie Sheen an escort before a performance.