A suspected pervert allegedly used cameras hidden in his shoes to secretly film women and minors in Northern California, including at a popular Berkeley eatery, police said.
Noah Stein, 35, of Oakland, was arrested Oct. 30 after investigators allegedly uncovered a scheme involving concealed shoe cameras and a second hidden recording device at a restaurant near UC Berkeley, according to the Berkeley Police Department.
The investigation started on October 26, when a teenage girl told police a man may have been recording videos up her skirt while she was waiting in line at Lox Stock and Bagel restaurant, located at 2043 Allston Way, near downtown Berkeley.
The teen told police she accidentally stepped on the man’s foot and then noticed a camera pointed toward her.
“Following the report, detectives collected evidence from the scene and identified a possible suspect,” Berkeley police said.
Investigators used Automated License Plate Reader technology to help place Stein in the area when the alleged incident occurred.
But cops got a “significant break in the investigation” early Friday morning, Oct. 30, when an officer patrolling the south side of the college campus was approached by someone who reported “seeing a man with a camera attached to his shoe, apparently recording up women’s skirts.”
The suspect was located and detained, cops said.
“During a search of the surrounding area, officers also recovered a mini camera that had been discarded in a nearby trash can,” police said.
Stein is facing numerous charges including invasion of privacy using a concealed video recording device, annoying or molesting a minor and destruction of evidence, according to police.
“As the investigation continued, detectives obtained a search warrant for the suspect’s residence in Oakland and seized several electronic devices.”
Cops also discovered a stationary camera allegedly concealed inside the Taco Bell Cantina near campus on Oct. 29.
Investigators believe Stein may have been frequenting the UC Berkeley South Campus area “for several weeks and may have secretly recorded additional victims.”
Police are now scrambling to identify anyone else who may have been targeted.
“We are urging anyone who was inside the Taco Bell Cantina after 11 pm that night, believes they may have been secretly recorded, or has information about this suspect to contact the Berkeley Police Department’s Sex Crimes Unit at 510-981-5735,” authorities said.
The California Post reached out to the Berkeley campus for further comment.
