Stalking Incident Reported in Bergen County New Jersey

Law enforcement in the village of Ridgewood New Jersey are constantly presented with the challenge of trying to protect its residents from others who might want to harm them either directly or indirectly. They do this by providing protection against actual threats of violence, and also by protecting citizens against illegal activities that later could result in violence. One example of this is what took place on December 4, 2012.

A female resident of Ridgewood had been contacted by a man who came to her place of work, uninvited, on many occasions. Local law enforcement made it very clear to the man that he was not welcome at the store where this female resident works. Police officers also stated in no uncertain terms that man was not to return again and that if he did criminal charges like stalking, terroristic threats, harassment and even a temporary restraining order might be forthcoming.

However, on December 4, in defiance of the orders given by local law enforcement, this man returned to the store. He was outside of the store looking in the window at the victim, police stated. Law enforcement responded to the situation, and 33-year-old Daniel Veytsel of Ridgewood, New Jersey was charged and charged with stalking. The additional charge of lewdness was added because of the actions committed by Mr. Veytsel while he was in police custody. He was taken to the Bergen County jail, where he was unable to post bail.

The governing statute in New Jersey for lewdness is N.J.S.A. 2C:14-4. Pursuant to the staute, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office can charge the defendant with either a disorderly persons offense (misdemeanor) or a fourth degree indictable (felony). What level of lewdness they charge the defendant with will depend on what the underline conduct was. Please see our lewdness page for more information.

Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 2C:12-10, stalking can either be a crime of the fourth degree (felony) or a crime of the third degree (felony). The degree in which the defendant is charged with by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office will depend directly on the defendants past history with the alleged victim, please see our page on stalking for more information. If the defendant is convicted of a fourth degree felony they will be facing up to eighteen months in a state prison and if they are convicted of a third degree felony they will be facing up to five years in a state prison.