Hackensack Cyber-Harassment Charges Lawyer

Being accused of cyber-harassment, cyber-stalking, or threatening someone online is no small thing in New Jersey. These charges originated relatively recently but the penalties associated with a conviction can be severe. If you have been charged with cyber-harassment in Hackensack or elsewhere in Bergen County, NJ, it is essential to know what you’re facing and how you can defend yourself in court. Better yet, enlist the services of an experienced Bergen County cyber-harassment defense lawyer who can fight your case. Contact our local criminal defense firm in Hackensack at (201)-556-1570 for a free consultation with an attorney who can help.

What Happens if I’m Convicted of Cyber-Harassment in Bergen County, NJ?

According to the New Jersey cyber harassment statute, section 2C:33-4.1, a person commits cyber-harassment by using any electronic device or social media site to threaten someone with injury or threaten to harm their property; knowingly send, post, comment, request, suggest, or propose any lewd, indecent, or obscene material to or about a person with the intent to emotionally harm them or put them in fear of such harm; or threaten to commit any crime against the person or the person’s property.

Ordinarily, cyber-harassment is a fourth degree crime, punishable by up to 18 months in NJ State Prison. However, in cases where the defendant is 21 years of age or older and impersonates a minor in order to cyber-harass a minor, this becomes elevated to a third degree crime. Third degree cyber-harassment carries a lengthier prison term ranging from 3 to 5 years.

A Case of Cyber-Harassment in Hackensack, New Jersey

Hackensack NJ police recently arrested a man who allegedly harassed and stalked a victim over the Internet. According to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, the suspect committed the threat crimes over a lengthy period of more than six months. The 34-year-old man lives in Hawthorne, New Jersey. He has been charged with a number of threat crimes, including cyberstalking, cyber harassment, and terroristic threats.

The suspect is accused of using a variety of means to communicate his threats to the victim, including phone calls, social media, and email. The suspect’s threatening behavior reportedly included direct threats to harm the victim, as well as general harassment that annoyed and alarmed the victim.

It is believed that the suspect and the victim did not actually know each other and did not have any kind of prior relationship before the alleged stalking and harassment began. Bergen County law enforcement opened an investigation into the suspect after receiving a complaint from the victim. Police eventually determined that enough evidence existed to arrest the suspect and charge him under the New Jersey Cyber-harassment statute. After being arrested and charged, the suspect was remanded to the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack, NJ. He was being held at the jail in lieu of a $50K bail amount.

For further information about this case, access the NJ.com article, “Hawthorne Man Accused of Cyberstalking Stranger for Months.”