Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Ivanka Trump "Fake Stalker" Now A Real Fugitive
By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 4, 2011
Modified Feb 4, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 4, 2011
Modified Feb 4, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Justin Massler, the Reno man who was arrested and accused of stalking socialite Ivanka Trump earlier this year, is now a fugitive. Massler, who is said to have "a history of mental illness," missed his court date this week, his second in the past two months, prompting a Judge to sign an arrest warrant on him. Massler's lawyer said that his client is in Nevada, and doesn't have enough money to fly out for the court appearances. But Massler, aka Cloud Starchaser, told us that the whole "stalker" thing was actually performance art, like "Andy Kaufman or Steven Colbert or some shit."
Prosecutors have accused Massler of setting up fan Web sites, penning gushy love letters, scolding screeds, and loony cartoons of Ivanka over the past two years. However, they also said it's too bad he didn't show up for court, since they were willing to cut him a deal: if he pled guilty in the misdemeanor stalking and harassment case, he'd get the charge reduced to a violation after a year of psych treatment.
Last month, we made a passing reference to Massler in a post on Caroline Kennedy's daughter's stalker, Naeen Ahmed. Massler wrote to complain about being lumped in with other real celebrity stalkers:
See the thing is, I'm not a real stalker. I was never stalking Ivanka Trump, I was arrested over a goddman internet blog/twitter where I was doing a fake stalker thing, like you know Andy Kaufman or Steven Colbert or some shit.
I don't know how, but somehow the police decided that Twitter counts as a real communication method, which I did not know it did. I was just writing it for the entertainment of people who read my Twitter, not to actually talk to the Trump Girl or anything.
We contacted him again to ask about the latest development in his case. But he does seem aware of how the press from the case/his performance art has hurt him: "I feel like I'm dealing with some major, major image problems at the moment that are preventing people from responding to me."
Tagged
cloud starchaser
fandom
ivanka trump
justin massler
stalking
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYC looks to grow involvement in Open Streets as applications open for 2027
The Mamdani administration bolstered funding this year and is asking applicants to suggest infrastructure upgrades.
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 12:52 p.m. ET
New Yorkers are paying $300 million for natural gas they don't even use
A new study found that nearly 2% of the city's natural gas is leaking into the air and causing climate pollution.
By
Rosemary Misdary
News
New Yorkers are paying $300 million for natural gas they don't even use
A new study found that nearly 2% of the city's natural gas is leaking into the air and causing climate pollution.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Early Addition: Eric Adams did not convince a Wisconsin town to build a data center
By
James Ramsay
Hit-and-run driver arrested trying to flee to Uzbekistan after deadly crash, NYPD says
By
Brittany Kriegstein
NY measles outbreak more widespread than official count, health officials say
By
Caroline Lewis
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .