Former Nashua Firefighter, Facing Child Abuse Image Charges, Accused Of Spying On Family With Hidden Camera

MANCHESTER, NH — A private investigator reportedly found a hidden camera installed in an electrical outlet in the former home of a since-fired Nashua firefighter facing a dozen child pornography charges, according to documents obtained through a right-to-know request by Patch.

Back in mid-January, a resident of New Boston Police after hiring a private investigator to search her house after becoming concerned about conversations she had with Patrick Thomas Reardon, 43, a former resident of the home. Reardon, a former Nashua firefighter, was out on bail at the time after being accused of possessing hundreds of child sexual abuse images and videos, including videos featuring two confirmed missing children. He was arrested on 15 counts, stemming from incidents in Hollis and New Boston, two different jurisdictions. Later, the cases were rolled into one, and he was indicted on 12 charges.

Reardon, an affidavit stated, commented about someone who was at the home in December 2024 and also made a threatening comment toward the woman. She told police Reardon should not have had any information about the person at the home since he was no longer living there as of August 2024.

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The private investigator performed a search of the home and discovered a hidden camera in a fully functional double-wall electrical outlet in the lower outlet’s ground hole inside a bedroom of the house, according to documents. The camera, manufactured by MiniGadgets, was positioned approximately 60 inches from the floor, just below a mounted television. The device was capable of capturing audio and contained a 128 GB micro-SD card. The affidavit stated the camera would have captured people changing clothes in the bedroom, and investigators confirmed “situations which would have depicted their private areas underneath their clothing.”

Editor's note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Hillsborough County Superior Court North and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the process for requesting the removal of a name from New Hampshire Patch police reports.

The complainant also reported to police that instructions for a hidden camera were found in a gym bag back in March 2024. When confronted about the instructions, “Reardon denied the allegations and reported the camera was installed in a shared workspace in Hollis,” that “he no longer utilized,” a report stated.

“I’m going to prove this to you,” Reardon allegedly stated, and then “subsequently broke into the business where he took two photos of the device and sent them to her via text message,” the officer wrote.

The photos in the text message matched the device found on Jan. 17, the affidavit said. The instructions, the officer wrote, outlined an eight-step process for accessing the device on an iPhone or iPad connected to the wi-fi network.

“Once connected,” the officer wrote, “the images can be livestreamed to the cell phone application.”

After discovering the camera, the complainant searched the wi-fi connections on her Comcast account and found an “undefined” device, which was added on Aug. 13, 2024, the day after Reardon left and moved to Greenville. He also had access to the home due to care and visitations, the report stated.

Later that day, Reardon was questioned by the New Boston police, including the town’s chief, about the documents reportedly found in his gym bag. The affidavit said he confirmed the comments about the camera being at his Hollis business “due to some illegal or concerning behavior.” Police seized Reardon’s iPhone and requested search warrants for Reardon’s two iPhones and the 128 GB micro-SD card, which were turned over to a Derry police detective.

Derry police were the investigating organization involved in Reardon’s first two cases.

The Derry detective found two Gmail accounts, selfies of Reardon, a single child sexual abuse image file and four other files of “indeterminate/child sex abuse/erotica” files also associated with a Safari application which were reportedly associated to a URL reached in November 2024, the MiniGadgets icon, and other candid photos and hidden camera images from between July 2024 and November 2024, according to the affidavit. Other web history included a Google search of “how accurate are hidden camera detectors” on Jan. 8, nine days before police were requested to investigate, the police chief wrote in a report.

On the micro-SD card, the detective found 21,349 media files, which appeared to have been taken from inside the home. The angles on some of the pictures, however, were not from the area below the mounted television, the affidavit said.

“This evidence (indicates) the device or the Micro SD card was installed in a second location in the room prior to its discovery on Jan. 17,” the affidavit stated, adding, “it should be noted that close to 18,000 videos have yet to be viewed as of this affidavit.”

At least two people were recorded engaging in several in-person interactions, and telephone conversations were also recorded, investigators alleged.

The affidavit, written by the town’s police chief, was filed on Feb. 28.

Reardon was arrested on contempt, child sexual abuse image; buy, etc., violation of privacy-child under 18, 8 counts of intercept-not party to communication, 18 counts of violation of privacy-use, install device. He was held on preventive detention and served a contact protection order for his family. Officials requested the affidavit be sealed for 90 days, which was approved by the court. After Patch made a right-to-know request for the affidavit, a motion was made to seal it again, which was granted on June 23 after Reardon was indicted on the child sexual abuse image charge, the violation of privacy child under 18 count, and seven intercept counts. Another motion to seal was granted and approved on July 10.

The Hillsborough County Attorney’s Office and the court agreed to release a redacted version of the affidavit in August.

On May 23, Reardon was also charged with four counts stalking-domestic violence, after being accused of sending an email and text message to family members as well as a third-party contact.

Reardon is back in the superior court on a dispositional conference hearing on the privacy, stalking, and communications charges, as well as two status conference hearings on the abuse images charges on Sept. 2.

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