'Upskirting' Incident At Shrewsbury Supermarket Leads To Charges

FREEHOLD – A Red Bank man faces invasion of privacy charges and resisting arrest in connection with “upskirting” photos taken of at least two women in a Shrewsbury supermarket last month, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced Tuesday.

Christopher W. Cox, 33, of Red Bank is charged with second-degree resisting arrest/eluding police, third-degree resisting arrest/eluding police, and two counts of fourth-degree invasion of privacy, the prosecutor's office said.

An investigation involved members of the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit and the Shrewsbury Borough Police Department.

According to authorities, shortly before 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20, a man later identified as Cox was seen entering the ShopRite on Shrewsbury Avenue in Shrewsbury, and shortly after he began following female shoppers around the store, using his cell phone in a manner indicating that he was surreptitiously taking photos of them from behind.

Cox was then seen exiting the store shortly after 5:45 p.m. and leaving the area in a white Dodge Durango.

About a week later, shortly after 9 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27, 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, the prosecutor's office said.

Cox was arrested in Little Silver shortly after and was lodged in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, pending a first appearance and detention hearing to take place in Monmouth County Superior Court.

This case has been assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Lavender of the Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit. Information on legal representation for Cox was not immediately available.

A recent photo of Cox is being released along with this press release. Anyone with information about this matter or Cox’s recent activities is being urged to contact www.mcponj.org, Detective Jose I. Rodriguez at 800-533-7443 or Shrewsbury Borough Police Department Detective Daniel DeCristofaro at 732-741-2500, ext. 230.

Anyone who feels the need to remain anonymous but has information about this or any crime can submit a tip to Monmouth County Crime Stoppers by calling their confidential telephone tip-line at 800-671-4400.

The public can also download the free P3 Tips mobile app https://www.p3tips.com/1182 or go to the website at www.monmouthcountycrimestoppers.com.