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Christopher Cox, 35, pleaded guilty on Friday, Oct. 4 to second-degree eluding police, two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and three counts of third-degree invasion of privacy. Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced the guilty plea in a news release on Tuesday, Oct. 8.
Investigators said Cox entered the ShopRite supermarket in Shrewsbury just before 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, and began following female shoppers around the Shrewsbury Avenue store. He used his cellphone "in a manner indicating that he was covertly recording videos" of the women from behind before he left the store and drove away in a white Dodge Durango.
Police then pulled Cox over on Newman Springs Road in Red Bank just after 9 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. He initially got out of his SUV when an officer ordered him but he jumped back in and sped away from the scene.
An officer grabbed onto Cox but let go of him to avoid getting dragged by the SUV. Cox was arrested shortly afterward in Little Silver.
Investigators seized several video files from Cox that showed girls and women filmed from below by a cellphone. Cox was believed to have used things like grocery baskets and duffel bags to record the victims.
Cox had also worked as a plumber and some victims were recorded in their homes. Other incidents happened at supermarkets and stores in Monmouth and Union counties.
A grand jury indicted Cox on 67 counts in April 2024.
"The counts were later amended to encompass his crimes against all 27 known victims, a fact he acknowledged during the plea hearing," said Santiago.
Prosecutors said they're seeking eight years in state prison for Cox. He would also have to register as a sex offender and have lifetime parole supervision.
Cox was scheduled for sentencing on Friday, Dec. 6.
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