A 35-year-old Oakland man has been arrested for allegedly using hidden cameras in his shoes to secretly film women and minors in Berkeley, California. Noah Stein was taken into custody on October 30, following an investigation into a report filed by a teenage girl.
The girl told police on October 26 that a man may have been recording videos up her skirt while she was waiting in line at the Lox Stock and Bagel restaurant near UC Berkeley. She noticed a camera pointed toward her after accidentally stepping on the man's foot.
Berkeley police identified Stein as a suspect and used Automated License Plate Reader technology to place him in the area at the time of the alleged incident. A significant break in the case occurred on the morning of October 30 when an officer was approached by an individual who reported seeing a man with a camera attached to his shoe, apparently recording women.
Stein was apprehended, and officers recovered a mini camera discarded in a nearby trash can. A subsequent search warrant for his residence in Oakland led to the seizure of several electronic devices. Police also discovered a stationary camera allegedly concealed inside a Taco Bell Cantina near campus on October 29.
Stein faces multiple charges, including invasion of privacy using a concealed video recording device, annoying or molesting a minor, and destruction of evidence. Investigators believe Stein may have frequented the UC Berkeley South Campus area for several weeks and could have recorded additional victims. Berkeley police are urging anyone who may have been targeted or has information to contact the department's Sex Crimes Unit.