NMAC.

Narrative

ATC DSNDED US TO 3000 FT PRIOR TO REACHING THE SPARTA VOR. THIS IS NORMAL PROC ON OUR FLTS FROM DCA-HPN. WE USUALLY ARE DSNDED TO 4000 AT BROADWAY VOR OR VERY SHORTLY AFTER PASSING. THERE WERE NUMEROUS VFR LIGHT ACFT IN THE AREA. ATC CALLED OUT 3 WHICH WE SPOTTED AND ADDITIONALLY THERE WERE 3 WHICH WERE NOT CALLED BUT VISUALLY ACQUIRED. THIS WAS ALL BTWN 20 MI EITHER SIDE OF SPARTA VOR ON OUR COURSE NE INBOUND AND E OUTBOUND. MOST OF THESE ACFT WERE WITHIN 1-2 MI AND 500 FT OF US WHEN SPOTTED. INFLT VISIBILITY WAS 3-5 MI WITH HAZE. AFTER PASSING BREEZY INTXN (19 DME ON THE SPARTA 084 DEG RADIAL) WE WERE GIVEN A HDG OF 090 DEGS BY ATC AND TFC WAS CALLED OUT AS 11 O'CLOCK 2 MI SWBOUND SHOWING 2900 FT. THE TERM 'VERIFIED' OR 'NOT VERIFIED' WAS NOT USED ALONG WITH THE TARGET CALL. WE VISUALLY ACQUIRED THIS TFC AT 11 TO 1130 O'CLOCK AT APPROX 3/4 MI RANGE. IT APPEARED TO BE AT OUR ALT; SO WE INITIATED A CLB TO 3300 TO AVOID A POTENTIAL CONFLICT. IT WAS VERY HARD TO TELL WHETHER THIS ACFT WAS LEVEL OR CLBING; OR HOW HE'D REACT IF HE SAW US. WE HAD ALL OUR LIGHTS ON AND THIS OTHER ACFT DID NOT. IT DID NOT APPEAR TO ALTER COURSE OR ALT AS WE PASSED OVER HIM. HIS ALT APPEARED TO BE VERY CLOSE TO OUR ASSIGNED 3000 FT. WE TOLD ATC WE CLBED TO AVOID THE ACFT AND WERE RETURNING TO 3000 FT. I ASKED IF THE CTLR STILL HAD THE TFC AND WHAT ALT HE WAS SHOWING. THE CTLR STATED HE WAS STILL SHOWING 2900 FT. ACCORDING TO MY TCA CHART WE WERE NOT INSIDE THE OUTER TCA BOUNDARY AT THIS LOCATION. THE OTHER ACFT WAS A YELLOW FRONT SMA.