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Hawthorne Apartment Building Janitor Hid Camera To Spy On Female Tenant, Police Charge

A Hawthorne maintenance man hid a camera in a woman’s apartment, recording her at least four times, said authorities who arrested him.

Hawthorne Square management had the complex swept for cameras and didn't find any, police said.

Hawthorne Square management had the complex swept for cameras and didn't find any, police said.

Photo Credit: COURTESY: Hawthorne Square

The Hawthorne Square Apartments summoned police to the Forest Avenue complex after finding the camera in the ductwork, Detective Sgt. Matthew Hoogmoed said Thursday.

Police identified 52-year-old Oscar Martinez as the culprit after checking the camera’s microSD card and finding personal photos of him and his family on it, Hoogmoed said.

Martinez, who’s been with the complex since they opened last year, was charged with burglary, criminal mischief and invasion of privacy.

He was processed, brought to the Passaic County Jail in Paterson and soon after was ordered released by a judge under New Jersey’s 2017 bail reform law.

“Management at the Hawthorne Square apartment hired an outside vendor to sweep other apartments to ensure there were no other apartments with hidden cameras,” the sergeant said.

As of Thursday, “there were no other reports of cameras being found,” he said.

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