A 25-year-old Bergen County man was charged with attempted kidnapping and stalking after investigators said he stalked a female victim for about a month before trying to kidnap her off a city street.
Michael Hernandez, of Garfield, was arrested Thursday by local police and members of the county’s SWAT team a week after the alleged kidnapping attempt, according to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella.
Garfield police notified the prosecutor’s office on May 15 of “multiple suspicious incidents” in which an unidentified male had been following a female for about a month in Garfield, the prosecutor said in a statement.
The victim reported that on May 8, the man “approached her and grabbed her neck and backpack in an attempt to remove her from the sidewalk,” Musella said.
A good Samaritan intervened, and the man ran off. Investigators later identified the man as Hernandez and determined he had been stalking the victim since early April before trying to kidnap her earlier this month, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Hernandez was charged with second-degree kidnapping and fourth-degree stalking. He remained in the Bergen County Jail on Monday ahead of a court hearing.
Attorney information for Hernandez was not listed in online jail or court records.
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
