FREEHOLD – A 43-year-old man has been found guilty of stalking a then-14-year-old girl in Hazlet several years ago, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced Friday.
Shyam Gurung, formerly of Jersey City, was convicted by a Monmouth County Jury of fourth-degree Stalking earlier this week, following deliberations taking place over two days and a weeklong trial.
A May 2017 investigation led by the Hazlet Police Department revealed that Gurung, who was working as an Uber and Lyft driver at the time, drove his black Infiniti sedan to the area of the Hazlet Middle School on multiple occasions in order to see the victim.
On one such occasion, Gurung approached the child as she walked home from school and told her that she was “pretty,” indicating that he followed her every day. Less than a week later, Gurung was observed waiting across the street from the school as the victim began walking home. He was arrested shortly thereafter.
Gurung is scheduled to be sentenced by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Vincent Falcetano on Friday, February 25, 2022.
Convictions on fourth-degree crimes are punishable by terms ranging from probation to 18 months in state prison.
The case was handled by Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Cummings of the Special Victims Bureau. Gurung was represented by Darren Gelber, Esq., with an office in Woodbridge.