Police arrest man accused of secretly filming over 90 victims inside Starbucks bathroom

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) – It’s an invasion of privacy; a hidden camera was found inside a California Starbucks bathroom.

San Jose police said it happened at the location off Coleman Avenue and Taylor Street.

“It’s horrible because we use the restroom a lot and we were here last week,” San Jose resident Lydia Zapata said.

Police said the recording was from Tuesday, Jan. 30, between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.

More than 91 people using the restroom were filmed, according to detectives. The youngest was 4 years old.

“This recording is graphic and involves multiple juvenile victims fully exposed,” Tanya Hernandez, San Jose Police Department’s public information officer, said.

Police said the camera was found underneath a sink facing the toilet.

Detectives arrested the suspect on March 15 at his San Jose home and found a cache of weapons. Twenty firearms, including an assault rifle, various micro cameras and high-capacity magazines were seized.

“It’s sickening. It is a feeling of being violated and this is wrong,” Gilroy resident Alex Orozco said. “I’m glad they caught the person and I hope the hammer comes down hard on him.”

Thomas Plant, a psychology professor at Santa Clara University, said privacy can be easily compromised with technology. There’s not only a feeling of violation, but what happens next?

“They feel exposed and it gets worse when they start to think what’s going to happen with this tape,” Plante said. “Or is this going to go online? Who is going to see this?”

Police couldn’t disclose if the footage was being sent to another location or if it was uploaded online.

“You think you have privacy and then you find out you don’t,” Zapata expressed.

It was an employee who initially found the camera, according to police.

“I can’t believe this is happening here, even in this area,” Orozco added. “This is horrifying, this is bad for everybody. Bad for business, bad for the community.”

Starbucks released a statement that said, “This is a deeply disturbing incident, and we are grateful for the quick and thorough response from the San Jose Police Department in apprehending the suspect.”

“At some point, we do have to take a deep breath, do the best we can and try to avoid the paranoia that might emerge, you know, after we have these types of stories and after we have these types of experiences,” Plante explained.