By: Najla Alexander
Authorities in Bergen County announced the arrest of 25-year-old Michael Hernandez of Garfield on charges of attempted kidnapping and stalking.
Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said the arrest was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck and the Garfield Police Department under the direction of Chief Richard Uram.
Officials stated that on Wednesday, May 15, the Garfield Police Department contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit regarding multiple suspicious incidents that occurred during the past month and involved an unidentified male following a female victim in Garfield.
According to officials, the victim reported that on May 8, 2024, the unidentified male approached her and grabbed her neck and backpack in an attempt to remove her from the sidewalk, but an unknown Good Samaritan intervened, and the suspect subsequently fled the area on foot.
An investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Garfield Police Department revealed that Michael Hernandez stalked the victim, beginning in April of 2024, before ultimately attempting to kidnap her on May 8, 2024, in Garfield, officials said.
Authorities say as a result of the investigation, on Thursday, May 16, 2024, Michael Hernandez was located and arrested in Garfield, with assistance from the Bergen County Regional SWAT Team, and charged with second-degree attempted kidnapping and fourth-degree stalking.
Hernandez was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack.