A Pennsylvania man was arrested Wednesday for stalking and harassing New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, authorities said.
Stephen Cilurso, a 72-year-old Aldan, Pa., resident, was detained by U.S. Marshals, the agency said in a social media post. New Jersey State Police issued a warrant for his arrest on Jan. 22.
Cilurso “left sexually explicit and derogatory messages” in multiple calls to Sherrill, a Democrat, in October and November 2025, when she was running for governor, police said. She defeated her Republican opponent, Jack Ciattarelli, and was sworn in on Jan. 20.
Though investigators did not publicly speculate on Cilurso’s motivation for the calls, he previously pleaded guilty in a similar case involving U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, a Democrat representing Pennsylvania’s 4th Congressional District. Just as he does not live in New Jersey, Cilurso does not live in Dean’s district.
In 2021, Cilurso made a series of “vulgar, obscene and sexually explicit” calls to Dean’s office during President Trump’s second impeachment trial. Cilurso told police he was angered by the trial and supported Trump.
Cilurso told investigators “when he gets into drinking he has a dirty mouth,” according to a criminal complaint filed against him. He eventually pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 365 days of probation, which would have expired prior to his calls to Sherrill’s office.
U.S. Capitol Police said Wednesday threats against congressional representatives and senators skyrocketed in 2025, revealing they investigated more than 14,000 cases. That could have included Cilurso’s calls to Sherrill, who represented New Jersey’s 11th District from 2019 to 2025.
