A US teenager has been arrested on charges of using a hidden camera in a mall toilet to record numerous women and at least four minors. The incident occurred at the Newport Centre Mall in Jersey City, where officials reported that the 18-year-old, Andy Cardenas, now faced a charge of invasion of privacy.
“On Friday, August 9, 2024, an adult female discovered a black device while using the family restroom located on the first floor of JC Penney,” the Hudson County prosecutor's office said in a press release.
Upon discovering the concealed device, she promptly handed it to the authorities, leading to an investigation by the Hudson County prosecutor's office.
According to a report by a local news outlet, authorities reviewed the footage obtained through a communications data warrant and discovered “approximately 35 videos of adult women who were exposed using the restroom, approximately four videos of female minors who were exposed using the restroom, and one video of a male and woman in the restroom together engaging in sexual acts,” as stated in Cardenas' criminal complaint.
Crucially, the footage also captured a male figure — later identified as Cardenas — setting up the hidden camera inside the JC Penney toilet. This led to his identification and arrest.
Authorities are still piecing together the timeline of the suspect's activities, as the footage lacks any dates or timestamps. They are also uncertain about the locations where all the videos were filmed. To identify more potential victims, the prosecutor's office has released images of four unrecognised restrooms.
The Hudson County prosecutor's office said, “Multiple electronic/digital files were recovered from the recording device, which contained images from several unidentified restrooms. The Special Victims Unit is seeking the public's help identifying the location of the restrooms in the attached photos. It is not yet known how long the recording device was being utilised.”
Cardenas was arrested on October 1 and released on a summons pending his first court appearance, which is tentatively scheduled for October 22, stated the press release.
