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Marco Alvear, 40, scrambled to his feet and ran from the Lyndhurst store after the horrified 53-year-old Rutherford woman discovered what he was doing, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said.
Lyndhurst Detectives Chris Cuneo and Tom McSweeney identified Alvear, the lieutenant said, thanks to video surveillance from the store, which won't be identified here because of its cooperation with them.
They also learned that the Ecuadorian national had been accused of similar crimes in Hackensack and River Edge.
A voyeuristic product of the Internet, "upskirting" is a cottage industry so prevalent that some states had to pass laws to address it. Hundreds of thousands -- if not millions -- of photos are posted online, with countless sites devoted to them alone.
Upskirters will position their cell phones in a variety of places -- sometimes beneath stairways or bleacher seats.
Alvear was arrested at his job in the kitchen of a Hackensack bagel shop, Auteri said.
Police sent him to the Bergen County Jail on invasion of privacy charges, only to see a judge order his release less than 24 hours later under New Jersey's bail reform law.
The lieutenant thanked Hackensack and River Edge police for their assistance in the case.
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