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Seattle TSA Worker Charged With Voyeurism – Recorded ‘Upskirt’ Video, But Not During Pat-Downs

By Alap Naik Desai
Published on: 23:45 PST, Jul 21, 2016

A Seattle TSA worker was arrested and charged with voyeurism for taking lewd photos and videos of women at the Tacoma International Airport. Multiple reports of his lewd behavior led to the apprehension of the worker.

A Transportation Security Administration agent in Seattle was arrested after allegedly being spotted using a smartphone to record an “upskirt” video at the city’s Sea-Tac Airport. Incidentally, the misconduct didn’t happen in a security line, screening, pat-downs, or cavity search. The worker has been taken into custody on voyeurism charges and is being currently held at the Regional Justice Center in Kent.

The suspect, identified as Nicholas Fernandez, was spotted by authorities using his phone camera inappropriately in the baggage claim area. He was caught stealthily riding an elevator behind a female passenger. Fernandez had his smartphone’s bright LED flash activated and it was angled in such a way that the camera was facing up a woman’s skirt. The 29-year-old Seattle TSA Worker was from Tukwila, Washington.

Fernandez was under surveillance after authorities received information that he was taking photos under women’s dresses. While reports indicate the authorities had received a tip, news publications claim there have been several complaints about the perpetrator’s inappropriate behavior. He was arrested after authorities followed the man, who walked directly to baggage claim and positioned himself behind a woman on the escalator. Thereafter a special agent noticed Fernandez pulling out his smartphone, and turning on the phone’s flashlight. He then placed the phone directly under the woman’s skirt as the two rode the escalator, noted the special agent who was tasked with monitoring the Seattle TSA worker.

According to a detailed probable cause statement, the suspect was under surveillance by a TSA special agent and the Port of Seattle Police. The special agent mentioned Fernandez hurriedly left his station on a break late Tuesday morning at around 11:15 a.m., and walked over to the baggage claim escalator. Thereafter he positioned himself behind a woman and turned his cellphone recorder on, reported The Seattle Times. The woman was wearing a skirt, noted John Comes, who reported the incident to authorities,

“I saw this bright light and I noticed it was his phone, and he was holding his phone down by his knee. He was trying to take a picture upskirt of this woman. By the time I realized that was what was going on, they were gone.”

Detectives immediately arrested him. Fernandez chose to waive his right to appear to a preliminary court hearing, reported The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. His first court appearance was scheduled on Wednesday. A judge has set a bond of $75,000, which Fernandez is unlikely to pay and will continue to remain in custody. His next scheduled appearance in court is on Thursday. In an official statement acknowledging the lewd behavior by the Seattle TSA worker, the security agency said:

“TSA does not tolerate illegal, unethical or immoral conduct. When such conduct is alleged, TSA investigates it thoroughly. When appropriate, TSA requests that it be investigated by a law enforcement authority. When an investigation finds that misconduct has occurred, the appropriate action is taken.”

Fernandez has been taken off of all screening duties at the airport and has been placed on indefinite suspension without pay.

According to the airport’s own statistics, it was the 13th busiest airport in the country in 2014. More than 40 million passengers pass through the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport each year. Such incidents involving a TSA agent, especially in the security screening areas, are extremely rare. However, there have been a few incidents in the past involving agents who were accused of groping male passengers. Last year, TSA fired two employees, a male-female duo, for colluding to arrange for pat-downs involving “attractive male passengers”.

[Photo by David McNew/Getty Images]

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