School Janitor Busted For Filming Co-Worker In Bathroom: Cops

ENGLEWOOD, NJ — The head custodian at Dwight Morrow High School was arrested after he threatened to kill himself and struggled with police after he filmed a co-worker with a hidden camera in the bathroom, police announced.

Francisco Jaiver Lopez-Martinez, 59, of Bergenfield, was hiding in the school after police and his family learned he used a hidden camera to film a female co-worker using a bathroom at the school, said Police Chief Lawrence Suffern. The camera filmed the woman's "private areas," he said.

Lopez-Martinez contacted the woman and asked for the camera back, but she refused to give it to him, Suffern said. A warrant was issued for his arrest Thursday and police searched for him.

Englewood Police detectives then learned that Lopez-Martinez was hiding somewhere on the Dwight Morrow or Janie E. Dismus Middle School campuses. They were sealed off and searched by local police, a sheriff's department K-9 unit, and a school official. They got in touch with Lopez-Martinez a few short times, but he refused to surrender, Suffern said.

Lopez-Martinez's family was there because they were "concerned for his safety," Suffern said. According to the family, Lopez-Martinez knew police were looking for him, apologized for what he did, and threatened to harm himself, the chief said.

At about 3:18 a.m., two family members and Officer Ronald Layne saw Lopez-Martinez. The family members grabbed him and Layne wrestled with Lopez-Martinez, who tried to get away and was holding a handgun, Suffern said.

Layne wrestled the gun away from Lopez-Martinez and handcuffed him with help from other officers, the chief said. The handgun was an airsoft gun that looks exactly like a large-caliber, semi-automatic handgun, Surfern said.

The incident stemmed from an investigation that began Thursday after a woman who is a part of the cleaning crew that works at the school visited police headquarters. She told them she found a hidden video camera in a bathroom at Dwight Morrow, Suffern said. The camera was installed near a toilet, police said.

The woman viewed what the camera filmed and saw that her "private areas" were recorded. She also saw a clip showing her boss, Lopez-Martinez, installing the camera in the bathroom, Suffern said.

Lopez-Martinez had access to all the district's schools. All of them were checked for other cameras and none were found.

"There is no evidence suggesting that any children or school staff were recorded," Suffern said. "Preliminary evidence suggests that his single victim was the only individual targeted, however, the investigation is ongoing."

Lopez-Martinez is charged with invasion of privacy, burglary, possession of a weapon for unlawful use, illegal possession of a handgun on school grounds, and resisting arrest. He was taken to New Bridge medical Center for a psychological evaluation and then to the Bergen County Jail.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photo: Francisco Javier Lopez-Martinez, 59, of Bergenfield (Englewood Police Department)