Man Arrested For Allegedly Taking Upskirt Photos, Hiding Camera In Berkeley Taco Bell Bathroom

An Oakland man was arrested last week on suspicion of secretly recording women and minors with concealed cameras near the UC Berkeley campus, including a device hidden in a Taco Bell Cantina bathroom and others attached to his shoes. Berkeley police arrested Noah Stein, a 35-year-old Oakland resident, last week on suspicion of using concealed cameras to record women and minors, according to a news release . The investigation also uncovered a camera hidden inside the bathroom of Taco Bell Cantina at 2528 Durant Avenue, where footage showed three women who police are now trying to identify, as the Berkeley Scanner reports . The investigation began October 26, after a teenage girl reported that a man appeared to be recording up her skirt while she waited in line at Lox Stock and Bagel, at 2043 Allston Way, around lunchtime. She reportedly noticed the camera pointed toward her after accidentally stepping on the man's foot. Detectives collected evidence from the restaurant and used automated license plate reader footage to help identify a possible suspect and place his vehicle in the area. On the night of October 29, a bystander approached a Berkeley police officer patrolling near Durant Avenue and Bowditch Street to report seeing a man with a camera attached to his shoe, apparently recording up women's skirts. The officer located Stein leaving Artichoke Basille's Pizza at 2590 Durant Avenue around 11 pm. Per the Scanner, police noted that Stein, who stands 6 feet 5 inches tall, was particularly recognizable. Officers arrested him shortly afterward and searched the surrounding area, where they recovered a discarded mini camera from a nearby trash can. Investigators determined it had been installed inside the unisex bathroom at the Taco Bell Cantina on the same block, with its red recording light covered in black tape. The Scanner reports that footage showed Stein placing the device in the bathroom and recording three women. Police also allege that Stein also recorded up women's skirts inside Taco Bell. After identifying Stein, investigators reviewed Flock automated license plate reader data and found that his vehicle had been in Berkeley's Southside neighborhood near UC Berkeley 43 times since October 1, per the Scanner. Police believe there may be additional victims. During questioning, Stein reportedly told detectives he came to Berkeley because so many women in the area wear short skirts, according to police. As the Scanner notes, that particular block of Durant Avenue is a hot spot for UC Berkeley students, with several late-night bars and other businesses catering to the community. Detectives subsequently obtained a search warrant for his Oakland home and seized several electronic devices, which have been sent for forensic examination. Stein was arrested on suspicion of invasion of privacy using a concealed video recording device, annoying or molesting a minor, and destruction of evidence. According to the Scanner, he posted bail October 30 and is scheduled for arraignment November 30. Berkeley police are asking anyone who was inside Taco Bell Cantina after 11 pm that night, believes they may have been secretly recorded, or has information about the case to contact the Berkeley Police Department's Sex Crimes Unit at 510-981-5735. Related: Local Comics Curator Arrested on Suspicion of Filming Guests In Bathroom During Party at His Berkeley Home