PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A Pompano Beach man accused of hiding cameras in the men's bathroom stalls at YouFit Gyms across South Florida and recording hundreds of videos over the course of two months appeared in court Thursday.
Boynton Beach police said Bernardo Reyes Lopez Santiago, 30, recorded over 400 videos of about 128 victims over the course of two months.
The investigation began on Sept. 11, 2023, when police responded to a suspicious incident at the YouFit located at 801 N. Congress Ave. in Boynton Beach, according to an arrest report.
The report said an employee found a "hidden spy camera under the sink in the men's handicap bathroom stall." According to the report, the general manager told police there were more hidden spy cameras found at additional YouFit locations throughout South Florida.
The next day, the Boynton Beach Police Department's Digital Forensic Unit was able to determine that the camera was installed on July 10, 2023 at around 10:30 p.m., 30 minutes before the gym closes, the report said. The first still images showed a man, later identified as Santiago, performing a test run by placing himself in front of the toilet. The report said, during the test run, Santiago used his cell phone "in what appeared to be the set up and the verification of the recording device placement."
Police said the camera started recording July 11, 2023, and stopped on Sept. 11, 2023, when it was discovered by the YouFit employee.
Following the discovery of the camera at the Boynton Beach location, YouFit employees found cameras at a location in Miami and Broward, the report said.
According to the report, Santiago had multiple YouFit check-ins at various locations in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, including the one located at 4032 W. Hillsboro Blvd. in Deerfield Beach. The report said some of the check-ins occurred at two different locations on the same day.
Of the 128 victims recorded over the course of two months, there were boys between the ages of 13 and 17 who appeared in the videos, according to police.
The report said, "all of the videos captured the victims dressing, undressing, or privately exposing the body."
Santiago appeared in Palm Beach County court Thursday and was being held at Palm Beach County Jail on $50,000 bond.
He was ordered to have no contact with YouFit gyms or any other fitness centers. He faces video voyeurism charges.
Santiago's next court appearance is scheduled for June.