Neptune man who stalked a woman and stole her bra remains in jail
A Neptune Township man has been ordered to remain in jail by a superior court judge to await trial on charges of stalking, burglary and cyber harassment, announced Monmouth County Prosecutor Chris Gramiccioni.
Wayde Delhagen, 25, was arrested in June after he broke into a home on Wayside Road to steal a bathing suit top, bra and a laundry basket.
He was charged following a series of events that started after he harassed women through social media before breaking into the Neptune Township home of two of his female victims.
Neptune Township Police responded to a 3 a.m. 911 call on June 15, 2019, reporting a possible burglary at a home in the 700 block of Wayside Road.
Upon arrival, officers spoke to the 18-year-old female victim and her mother, who told them that someone had broken into the girl’s bedroom through a window, while they were asleep in another part of the residence.
The victim said that she had been having trouble with a man she met using social media.
While continuing their investigation during a search of the surrounding area, Neptune police officers located Delhagen in front of a nearby home.
He was found in possession of a bathing suit top and a bra belonging to the victim and taken from a laundry basket located under the window of her bedroom.
At that time, Delhagen was charged with Burglary, Theft and Criminal Mischief.
He was released on a summons in accordance with the recommendation from Delhagen’s Public Safety Assessment.
The Neptune Township police continued its investigation, and learned the victim had previously come into contact with Delhagen last year through social media.
That contact turned into harassment after the victim rejected Delhagen’s efforts to set up a meeting for the two, forcing the victim to cut off any communication between them.
In May 2019, Delhagen contacted the victim using a different social media platform, stating he was coming over to the victim’s house and inquiring if the victim’s mother was home.
He then sent her disturbing images, including a Google Maps image of the victim’s residence.
After he was again rejected by the victim, Delhagen sent a harassing message to the girl’s mother.
Neptune Township Police charged him with Stalking and Cyber-Harassment, and he was taken to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution.
Delhagen is also charged out of Neptune City, with two counts of fourth degree Cyber-Harassment, as part of an ongoing investigation into harassing messages sent via social media and his cell phone to a separate set of victims.
In that case, Delhagen is accused of utilizing social media accounts to repeatedly send threatening messages and sexually explicit materials to another young female victim and her mother.
Those threatening messages also included references to the Sarah Stern homicide.
If convicted of Burglary, Delhagen faces a sentence of three to five years in prison.
If convicted of the fourth degree offenses, he faces up to 18 months in state prison on each count.
Despite this arrest, law enforcement authorities continue to seek names of other potential victims that may have been contacted by Delhagen on social media.
Delhagen is being held to await trial on charges of third degree Burglary, fourth degree Theft by Unlawful Taking, fourth degree Criminal Mischief, and related charges of fourth degree Stalking and fourth degree Cyber-Harassment.
Anyone with additional information about this case is asked to contact Detective James Van Etten of the Neptune City Police Department at (732) 455-0117, or Detective Erick Amadruto of the Neptune Township Police Department at (732) 988-8000 extension 419.
The case is assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutors Joshua Carmel and William Visone. Delhagen is represented by Shane S. Paugh, Esq., of Middletown.
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