Police have detained an Irvine HomeGoods employee after it was found he was collecting images taken from underneath customers’ skirts, authorities said Wednesday.
Matthew Torres, 22, was arrested in the 6214 Irvine Blvd. location on Nov. 12 after a visitor to the store felt her skirt move and noticed the employee with his cell phone facing toward and up her clothing, according to a statement posted on the Irvine Police Department’s Facebook page.
The customer first confronted Torres, who ran into an employees-only area of the store, Irvine police spokesperson Kim Mohr said. Law enforcement then responded to the scene and made contact with Torres, who admitted to taking such photos and allowed police to search his phone, according to the statement.
“Later the police seized the phone and subsequently found hundreds of photos of the same nature,” Mohr said. “We believe there could be up to 100 victims in this case.”
The victim was also able to identify photos of herself, officials said. The suspect was then taken into custody after the victim signed a citizen’s arrest.
“It definitely makes it worse that he worked there. It’s a place where a lot of moms go, where a lot of kids go too,” shopper Jeanie Kim said.
Authorities noted that HomeGoods store management has cooperated in the investigation and is assisting officers in identifying potential victims.
“The safety of our customers is always a top priority at HomeGoods,” the retailer said in a statement. “We are appalled by this situation and are fully cooperating with law enforcement.”
Females who have visited the store since September and believe they may be a victim can contact Detective Sarah Tunnicliffe at 949-724-7170 or stunnicliffe@cityofirvine.org.
KTLA’s Cindy Von Quednow contributed to this story.
