Michal Pacek, New Jersey man accused of stalking Suffolk nurse, expected in court Wednesday

Michal Pacek, the New Jersey man accused of stalking and harassing a Long Island nurse for three years before finally being arrested last week, will face a judge in Central Islip Wednesday, law enforcement officials said.

Suffolk County authorities on Tuesday transported Pacek, 47, of Bayonne, New Jersey, to the Third Precinct in Bay Shore, where he will spend the night before appearing in District Court before acting county Judge Evan Tanenbaum, said Emily O'Neill, a spokeswoman for the Suffolk District Attorney's Office.

Pacek, who waived extradition on Friday, has six outstanding misdemeanor warrants for criminal contempt and bail jumping, records show. 

It was not immediately clear if Pacek, who was arrested by the New Jersey State Police Department's Fugitive Task Force on Wednesday, will face upgraded charges related to his alleged stalking and harassment of Melanie Smith of Suffolk, a registered nurse he has never met or physically harmed.

"Mr. Pacek waived extradition because he thinks he will continue to exploit the holes in the penal law and the seeming apathy of law enforcement, allowing him to continue his sick game," said Adam Uris, Smith's attorney. "Melanie hopes this development represents an end to that apathy, and the beginning of Suffolk County saying with a clear voice that this behavior will no longer be tolerated; that it will be punished and that all efforts will be made to keep innocent victims safe from sadistic monsters like Pacek."

Efforts to reach Pacek were not successful and it's not clear if he has an attorney.

Newsday reported on Pacek's prolonged harassment of Smith, which began in May 2023 after she attempted to sell an old iPhone on Facebook Marketplace and received what she described as a bizarre message filled with graphic sexual remarks from a man she'd never met.

In the subsequent months Smith received hundreds of sexually explicit and violent calls, text messages, social media posts and emails from Pacek, who also sent her dozens of unsolicited gifts, including an $800 bouquet of roses, more than $500 in cash, 40 pieces of lingerie and sexual paraphernalia

Pacek was first arrested for stalking and aggravated harassment, both misdemeanors, when he showed up at Smith's parents' house in Suffolk.

But he was found mentally unfit to stand trial and released from a Suffolk psychiatric facility after serving less than one day, triggering the automatic dismissal of both the criminal case and an order of protection Smith had secured against Pacek.

Last year, Pacek was charged in Suffolk with second-degree aggravated harassment and third- and fourth-degree stalking, both misdemeanors, records show.

On the eve of trial, Pacek's attorney again requested a psychological fitness exam but the construction worker failed to show up and a warrant for his arrest was issued for bail jumping and criminal contempt, records indicate.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.