By BRIAN DONOHUE
A Red Bank man charged in 2022 and 2023 with multiple instances of alleged “upskirting” women and girls in supermarkets and liquor stores pleaded guilty to multiple charges Friday, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced
Tuesday.
Christopher W. Cox, 35, (right) of Red Bank faces what Santiago’s office called a possible “lengthy prison term” after entering a plea before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Joseph W. Oxley.
Cox, whose address at the time of his arrest was on Waverly Place, pleaded guilty to a single count of second-degree eluding police; two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and three counts of third-degree invasion of privacy.
A press release from Santiago’s office reads:
Shortly before 4 p.m. on Thursday, October 20, 2022, a man later identified as Cox was seen entering the ShopRite of Shrewsbury on Shrewsbury Avenue, and shortly thereafter he began following female shoppers around the store, using his cell phone in
a manner indicating that he was covertly recording videos of them from behind.Cox was then seen exiting the store and leaving the area in a white Dodge Durango. About a week later, shortly after 9 a.m. on Thursday, October 27, 2022, Cox was pulled over on Newman Springs Road in Red Bank. After initially obeying a command
from an officer to exit his vehicle, Cox then quickly reentered the SUV and sped away from the scene, with the officer releasing his grip on him in order to avoid getting dragged by the vehicle. Cox was located in Little Silver shortly thereafter and taken into
custody without incident.
When announcing the charges in 2023, prosecutors said their investigation led to the seizure of numerous digital video files in Cox’s possession, most depicting girls and women being filmed from below using a cell phone placed in a grocery basket, duffel bag, or other means of conveyance. Other confirmed incidents took place in supermarkets or box stores located in several other municipalities in Monmouth and Union counties, prosecutors said.
The investigation further determined that Cox had been employed as a plumber, and some of the charges against him are connected to incidents taking place in the homes of clients, prosecutors said.
A Monmouth County Grand Jury returned a 67-count indictment against Cox in April. The counts were later amended to encompass his crimes against all 27 known victims, a fact he acknowledged during the plea hearing, according to the press release from Santiago’s office.
Sentencing in the case has been tentatively scheduled for Friday, December 6, at which time the prosecutors said they will recommend a term of eight years in state prison and registration as a sex offender.
A call to the office of Cox’s attorney, Christian Fleming of East Brunswick, was not immediately returned.
redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331 or yelling his name loudly as he walks by. Do you value the news coverage provided by redbankgreen? Please become a financial supporter if you haven’t already. Click here to set your own level of monthly or annual contribution.
