Mark Schmitt.     

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

A 63-year-old man with a history of lewd acts was caught masturbating on a bench in Guttenberg, exactly one year after a similar incident in Hackensack, authorities said.

Officers responded to an apartment complex near John F. Kennedy Boulevard East and 71st Street around 10:25 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 5, for a report of a man publicly pleasuring himself, the Guttenberg Police Department said in a news release.

The man was identified as Mark R. Schmitt, 63, of Hackensack. Police said he gave officers a fake name when questioned. Once they confirmed his identity, they discovered he had an active warrant out of Hackensack Municipal Court.

Schmitt was charged with burglary, criminal trespass, lewdness, and hindering apprehension, authorities said. He was also issued a complaint summons for a separate trespassing case in July, police said. He was taken to Hudson County Correctional Center.

This is not Schmitt’s first arrest for public masturbation.

Mark Schmitt.     

Mark Schmitt.     

Edgewater PD

As reported by Daily Voice, Schmitt was arrested twice in Edgewater on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, for masturbating in public — once at 7:30 a.m. and again at 9 a.m. the same morning.

Later that summer, on Monday evening, Aug. 5, 2024, Schmitt exposed himself and pleasured himself in front of a 25-year-old woman on a transit bus, Hackensack Police Capt. Michael Antista said at the time.

“I am extremely grateful for those members of the public that assisted us with this criminal investigation,” Guttenberg Police Chief Frank Pelaez said in a statement. “This arrest led to Mr. Schmitt’s identification as the defendant in an entirely separate incident, that he might never have been identified and/or charged for.”

Anyone with information is asked to call 201-868-3300 or email Lt. Steven Diaz at sdiaz@guttenbergpolice.org or Det. Sgt. Marcin Rysiec at mrysiec@guttenbergpolice.org.