JACKSON TOWNSHIP, NJ – A New Jersey politician making waves in the world of viral TikTok rants is under fire today over his comments in a recently published YouTube video where he says, if there’s anyone in the world he’d like to fight, it would be the Pope.
Chris Pollak publishes videos recorded by his videographer Elliott Shemtov, who videos the former New York superhero vigilante’s latest capers, where he criticizes local government officials, goes on a bizarre rant about the Catholic church, and says he wants to fight the Pope.
Pollak, a martial arts instructor and owner of Hybrid Karate in Jackson Township, targeted the Pope in an interview published on YouTube in March of this year. When asked if he could fight anybody, who would it be? Pollak said, the Pope.
Not ISIS. Not a criminal illegal alien who just killed a mother and daughter in neighboring Lakewood Township. Heck, he didn’t even choose Cory Booker, Phil Murphy, or the local drug dealers operating out of his own apartment complex. No, he chose the Pope.
“Probably the pope,” Pollak said. “It’s funny sometimes, once in a while, people ask if you could fight anybody, who would you fight, Chris? I go, ‘Probably the Pope,’ you know, cuz let’s be real, this is a guy, the head of a church, who’s protecting people who hurt. So, I’d fight the pope [Laughter] absolutely.”
Neither Pollak nor his campaign advisor Shim-Tov has commented publicly on the interview.
Pollak isn’t the only person involved in his campaign to be under fire this week.
Chris Walther, who claims to be one of Pollak’s campaign managers, is under investigation for operating an illegal firearms operation out of a Jackson Township home. Ironically, Pollak, in many of his videos, takes aim at LLCs and businesses operating illegally out of single-family dwellings, whether they’re operating illegal businesses or renting to multiple migrant families.
Walther’s residential home, which advertises itself as a firearms modification business, was first questioned by township officials earlier this year.This inquiry began before Pollak announced his campaign for township council.
This information was evidenced by comments and advertisements made on Facebook by Walther soliciting customers for his Cerakoting business. Cerakoting is the act of applying a protective ceramic coating to firearms. Under state and federal law, cerakoting falls under gunsmithing, for which operators are required to have a federal firearms license, which Walther does not possess.
The law states clearly that while gun owners may legally modify and cerakote their firearms, it is a federal violation to modify firearms for others, especially if operating a business. At this point it is unknown whether or not state and federal officials are investigating the matter.
Walther posted on Facebook that he intends to open a legitimate gun shop on West Commodore Boulevard eventually, but complained about local zoning laws that are unclear about the zoning requirements for that location and said he’s been ‘operating out of my garage’.