A College Point man who works at LaGuardia Airport has been released without bail after being charged with setting up his cellphone inside a bathroom to record women using the toilet.
Law enforcement sources said that Samuel Rodriguez, 39, of 130th Street allegedly planted his cellphone inside a LaGuardia Airport single-stall unisex bathroom on the night of Dec. 19. A woman observed Rodriguez exiting the bathroom at about 9 p.m. that night just as she was heading in.
While inside the rest-room , according to Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown, the woman heard a beeping sound coming from inside the restroom. The woman walked toward the sound and spotted a cellphone within a paper towel dispenser.
“The victim was literally saved by the bell when the defendant’s cellphone alarm began to buzz, and she spotted the hidden phone,” Brown said. “This kind of depravity will not be tolerated in Queens County, and [Rodriguez] now faces prison time for his alleged actions.”
Prosecutors said that the woman looked at the phone, then picked it up and played back the most recent video clip — which allegedly showed Rodriguez putting the phone into the dispenser. Brown said Rodriguez deliberately angled the camera to show anyone using the toilet.
The phone was reported to Port Authority Police Department, which tracked down Rodriguez a short time later. When questioned about the phone, Rodriguez allegedly admitted to planting device, allegedly stating that he did it because he “was trying to video pretty girls” and that he planned on masturbating to the video at home.
Rodriguez was booked on a single charge of second-degree unlawful surveillance. According to court records, he was arraigned on Dec. 20 in Queens Criminal Court and released under supervision. He must return to court on Jan. 15.
