A man who was working as a municipal cyber security officer in Florida was arrested this month after a secret camera he installed in a cruise ship bathroom was discovered.
According to an affidavit, Jeremy Froias collected video of 150 people, including 40 minors as young as 4 and 5 years old, through his voyeurism scheme on the Royal Caribbean Cruise ship Harmony of the Seas. Some of them were at least partially naked.
A Federal Bureau of Investigation notice released in an effort to identify potential victims said that Froias was charged with video voyeurism and attempted possession of child exploitation material.
“The FBI believes he primarily targeted cruise ship passengers between the timeframe of April 30 and May 1, 2023, who may have used the public bathroom on the aft of the Harmony’s top deck between the ‘Flow Rider’ surfing simulator and a bar,” said the notice. “Passengers using this bathroom may have been video recorded by Froias.”
Video footage from the Wi-Fi camera appears to show Froias installing it and connecting it to his phone. A passenger alerted the Harmony crew about the camera.
Per the affidavit, Froias boarded Harmony of the Seas – billed as “one of the world’s largest cruise ships” with “family friendly adventures” by Royal Caribbean – around April 29. He admitted to installing the camera during an interview on May 1.
“The ship stopped in Puerto Rico, where the F.B.I. arrested Mr. Froias,” according to The New York Times. It said Froias appeared for a detention hearing in Puerto Rico this week. A federal judge ordered a $25,000 bond and conditions of his release require Froias to wear an electronic monitoring device and surrender his passport. Additionally, “he is not allowed to access the internet or have unsupervised contact with minors under the age of 18, including his two children,” said the report.
Froias was an employee of Kississimee, Fla., since 2004, per a report in the Osceola News-Gazette. It said the city announced that Froias employment was terminated as of Monday.
“Mr. Froias has not been indicted at this time. Therefore, because no criminal charges have been formally filed at this juncture, we have no comments,” said Leo Aldridge, a San Juan-based lawyer representing Mr. Froias, in a statement provided to The New York Times.
The F.B.I. did not return a request for comment from the outlet.
“We are aware of an incident that occurred on board Harmony of the Seas’ April 29 cruise,” said in a statement provided to The Times. “The matter was immediately reported to local and federal law enforcement and the guest involved was removed from the ship by authorities for further investigation. As this is an active case, we are unable to share any more details at this time.”
According to The New York Times, passengers said Royal Caribbean didn’t notify them about the hidden camera during and after the cruise.
“It’s terrifying that passengers and their children were filmed secretly while they were naked using the bathroom,” said April Wise, 52, who was on the cruise with her husband and niece, per the outlet. “Thankfully, we didn’t use that bathroom, but thousands of people were on the ship and they still don’t know if they were filmed or not. It’s unacceptable that Royal Caribbean has not contacted the victims.”
With its notice, the F.B.I. provided a form for those who believe they may be victims of Froias to fill out
“If you know of someone else who has possibly been victimized by Jeremy Froias, please encourage them to complete the form themselves,” it said.
Victims may be eligible for certain services, restitution, and rights under federal and/or state law, said the bureau.
“Your responses are voluntary but may be useful in the federal investigation and to identify you as a potential victim. Based on the responses provided, you may be contacted by the FBI and asked to provide additional information. All identities of victims will be kept confidential,” it said.
Questions about the Froias case may be sent to Harmonycruisevictims@fbi.gov.
Hidden camera sightings on vacation are disturbingly common, according to an Audacy article published last month. It cited a study that found that one in four respondents reported finding a hidden camera at their vacation rental.
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