TEANECK, N.J. (1010 WINS) — A New Jersey restaurateur who competed on Food Network's "Chopped" is facing charges of sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office said Thursday.
Shalom Yehudiel, 40, the owner of several kosher restaurants in Teaneck, was arrested in Newark on Wednesday after a months-long investigation revealed he had allegedly sexually assaulted a child under the age of 16 in the town on multiple occasions.
Initially, the FBI contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit office in November regarding the alleged assault.
He has since been charged with first-degree sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, officials said.
Yehudiel was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending his first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, NJ.
The husband and father, who reportedly became the first contestant on the long-running Food Network competition series to follow kosher dietary laws during his 2020 appearance, has previously been accused of sexual assault by two women who were minors when the incidents allegedly happened.
It is unclear at this time if those previous accusations are related to these charges.
He voluntarily stepped away from daily operations at his restaurants in December, according to the Rabbinical Council of Bergen County.
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