A New Jersey martial arts instructor was arrested on child porn charges for allegedly planting hidden cameras in his studio’s women’s bathroom.
Ryan Curtin, 25, of Oakland, stands accused of pulling off the despicable scheme for several months at the Tiger Schulmann’s Martial Arts studio in Ramsey.
Police cuffed the suspected culprit on Wednesday after their investigation uncovered that he had allegedly filmed several victims – all women and children – in ‘various stages of undress.’
Curtin was initially arrested in April when the hidden cameras were first discovered at the popular martial arts school, PIX11 reported.
At the time, he was only charged with invasion of privacy and was released, awaiting further court action.
Ramsey police then sounded the alarm to the Bergen County Cyber Crimes Unit and Digital Forensics Lab, which delved into Curtin’s alleged disgraceful actions even further.
Once the agency gathered reasonable evidence to suggest Curtin had been sickeningly filming unsuspecting women and children as they used the bathroom, authorities took action once again.
When Curtin was rearrested on Wednesday, he was hit with several other charges, including production and possession of child sexual material.
According to Bergen County arrest records, he remains in custody without bond. His first court appearance has not been scheduled yet.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Ramsey location of Tiger Schulmann’s for comment.
Tiger Schulmann’s has 55 locations across five states, offering self-defense, jiujitsu and kickboxing courses.
News about the disgusting actions Curtin took at the family-friendly studio has left studio members shaken.
‘My family trained for years at this facility. The owner is above reproach and is probably beside himself with this,’ one woman shared on Facebook.
‘Lucky this POS was arrested and not found out by the staff. I’m devastated that someone took advantage in a place that has been community oriented for 20 years.’
Curtin’s arrest comes about a month after an American Airlines flight attendant who secretly filmed multiple young girls using a plane bathroom was sentenced to 18 and a half years behind bars.
Estes Carter Thompson was arrested in January of last year after a 14-year-old girl discovered he had set up a phone to record those inside the toilet.
Prosecutors said in a sentencing memo that this behavior had been going on for some time, stretching back to January 2023.
Thompson, from Charlotte, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to a count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of images of child sexual abuse depicting a prepubescent minor.
Judge Julia E. Kobick called his behavior ‘appalling’ and said his victims’ ‘innocence has been lost’ because of him.