'Swiss Cheese Pervert' suspect arrested

A suspect dubbed the "Swiss Cheese Pervert" was arrested Thursday for allegedly committing indecent acts with dairy products in the Northeast Philadelphia area.

Philadelphia police served Christopher Pagano, 41, with a warrant at his Norristown home, according to officials with the Norristown Police Department, which assisted in the man's arrest. Pagano is accused of offering to pay women to put Swiss cheese on his penis and perform sexual acts.

Police said Pagano is being charged in connection with three incidents. The first occurred Jan. 1, 2013 on the 7400 block of Frankford Avenue in Holmesburg. The second two both occurred Jan. 5, 2014, one on the 4200 block of Chippendale Street and one on the 7100 block of Frankford Avenue in neighboring Mayfair.

The case became highly publicized last week after the Mayfair Town Watch Facebook page posted about several disturbing incidents during which a man approached women and made similar Swiss cheese-related requests. "This guy has been doing stuff like this for years," one woman commented on a post on the page. "Online and at bars on Frankford Ave. A few years ago he walked up to a couple friends of mine and asked them to help him with the cheese. Then pulled down his pants."

The Daily News on Monday reported the case extended beyond Mayfair, quoting a message the suspect allegedly sent a Bridesburg woman through dating website OkCupid. "I started to compare girls to cheese due to their milky complections [sic], girls are soft, smooth feeling and tend to like dairy products more," the message read. "That and typical advertising, always using a girl to advertise dairy products. So cheese is what I started to use as a replacement for having sex with girls."

The paper on Thursday reported more readers had stepped forward to share similar tales and that several women were cooperating with the investigation.