When does a prank go too far? A prank may go too far when it offends the intended recipient. The prank may also go too far if it violates New Jersey state laws. Pranks against an individual may seem simple and non-violent, but even a phone call can turn into a serious incident and even be considered a crime under certain circumstances.
A 49-year-old New Jersey man faces criminal charges that may include potentially violent crime charges for contacting an old girlfriend, sending “unordered” pizzas to her home and contemplated sending entertainers to the home that would upset any wife who thinks her husband played a role in requesting them. All of this, police say rose to a level of threatening and harassing a former girlfriend— a chargeable offense in New Jersey.
The man allegedly contacted his old girlfriend over 20 years after they stopped dating. The man contacted the woman numerous times over the phone. After the man made several phone calls to the woman, he began to contact the woman’s husband by phone.
During the telephone conversations between the man and the woman’s husband, the man made allegedly harassing statements about the man’s wife. The alleged statements made by the man were that the man’s wife belonged to the New Jersey man. In addition to the allegedly harassing statements, the New Jersey man allegedly had 20 pizzas sent to the woman’s house and reportedly threatened to send strippers to the woman’s house.
The woman reported the man’s behavior to the local police and the police were able to track down the New Jersey man through the cellphone he was using to make the calls. After the local police secured an arrest warrant for the man, he turned himself in before the warrant was executed. The man faces harassment in the first degree, threatening in the second degree and attempted extortion and larceny. The man was later released on a $50,000 bond. The man may also face potential criminal charges in his own city for the alleged actions.
Source: The Stamford Times, “New Jersey man arrested for harassing woman 20 years after they dated,” Korey Wilson, Jan 30, 2013