Man Charged With Stalking Fort Lee Girl, 16: Police

FORT LEE, NJ —A man charged with stalking walked up to a borough high school student five times in recent weeks and offered her cigarettes, police said Wednesday.

Chayim Shvarzblat, aka Michael Shvarzblat, 32, of Lakewood, was charged with stalking and providing cigarettes to a juvenile, said Capt. Matthew Hintze.

Shvarblat allegedly stalked the victim near Fort Lee High School between Jan. 7 and Feb. 5, Hintze said.

He allegedly first approached the girl Jan. 7 at the ACME supermarket adjacent to the high school when she was on her lunch break. He allegedly drove up to the girl and asked her, "Hey sexy, do you want a cigarette?" Hintze said.

The girl ignored the man and went back to school.

The girl was approached by the man four more times, each time he offered her cigarettes, police said. During the last time, on Jan. 22, Shvarblat followed her into the ACME and asked her if she wanted to go into his vehicle and smoke a cigarette, Hintze said.

The girl reported the incidents to her principal Jan. 31. The school contacted police, who began investigating.

The girl and her mom were driving to school Feb. 4 when they saw Shvarblat's sitting in his vehicle, a 2015 Hyundai Sonata, in the George Washington Bridge Plaza facing the ACME parking lot, Hintze said.

The girl called police and the next day police saw the vehicle in the plaza and stopped it, Hintze said. Shvarbalt is due in Bergen County Superior Court March 12.

"While it is unfortunate that this occurred, it is a good example of a teenager telling an adult in school what occurred, and then the school staff working closely with the school resource officers," said Chief Keith Bendul. "The SROs and the department are here to protect the children in our community."

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photo: Chayim Shvarzblat, 32 (Fort Lee Police Department)