The Harmony of the Seas cruise ship, one of the largest in the world, with its multi-deck waterslides, zip line and surf simulators, is a favorite with families. But the discovery of a hidden camera in a public restroom during a recent sailing has caused many passengers to question their enthusiasm after the FBI said minors who appeared to be as young as 4 or 5 had been the victims of onboard video voyeurism.
According to an FBI affidavit in support of the criminal complaint and arrest warrant, on April 30, one day after the Royal Caribbean ship left Miami for a seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruise, a man identified how Jeremy Froias allegedly hid a Wi-Fi network. camera in an upper deck bathroom, pointing its lens towards the toilet. The bathroom was located near one of the ship’s surf simulators and was used by many passengers to change into their bathing suits.
A day later, a passenger saw the camera and reported it to the ship’s security staff. They found hours-long footage showing more than 150 people, including what appears to be at least 40 minors, some of whom were at least partially nude, according to the charging document.
The ship stopped in Puerto Rico, where the FBI arrested Mr. Froias and charged him with video voyeurism and attempted possession of child exploitation material.
“People are seen going into the bathroom to use the toilet or to change into or out of bathing suits,” the affidavit reads. “Froias’ camera captured these individuals in various stages of nudity, including capturing video of their naked genitalia, buttocks, and female breasts.”
Mr. Froias is a former cybersecurity officer for the city of Kissimmee, in Central Florida. Images recovered from the camera show Mr. Froias installing the device, the affidavit says. During an interview with cruise ship security on May 1, he admitted to placing the camera in the bathroom, according to court documents.
Leo Aldridge, a San Juan attorney representing Froias, declined to answer questions about the case. “Mr. Froias has not been charged at this time. Therefore, as criminal charges have not been formally filed at this time, we have no comment,” he said in a written statement.
The FBI did not respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Froias appeared at a detention hearing in Puerto Rico this week and a federal judge ordered his release on the condition that he post $25,000 bail, wear an electronic monitoring device and surrender his passport. He is not allowed to access the Internet or have unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18, including his two children.
Jim Walker, a Miami-based maritime lawyer who has represented victims in other voyeurism cases, questioned the amount of the bond. “A $25,000 bond might be appropriate for a single victim, but considering there are at least 150 victims and many dozen children, based on the FBI affidavit, a bond should not be less than $1,000,000,” he said. He said that he was contacted by passengers who were on the Harmony of the Seas during the incident.
The passengers said that Royal Caribbean did not notify them about the hidden camera during and after the sailing. They said they found out through the media and an FBI tip seeking to identify potential victims.
“It’s terrifying that the passengers and their children were secretly filmed while they were naked in the bathroom,” said April Wise, 52, who was on the cruise with her husband and niece. “Fortunately, we didn’t use that bathroom, but thousands of people were on the ship and they still don’t know if they were filmed or not. It is unacceptable that Royal Caribbean has not contacted the victims.”
Royal Caribbean declined to comment but sent a statement via email, saying: “We are made aware of an incident that occurred aboard the Harmony of the Seas cruise ship on April 29. The issue it was immediately reported to local and federal law enforcement and authorities removed the guest involved from the ship for further investigation. As this is an active case, we cannot share any further details at this time.”
It is not the first time that an incident of this type has occurred on a cruise ship. In March, an MSC Cruises crew member was caught filming women in a bathroom. In 2017, a family found a hidden camera pointed towards their bed in their cabin aboard the Carnival Fantasy, but after conducting an investigation, the cruise line said the camera had not been operational.
“It’s very easy for predators to buy small, cheap cameras these days,” Ms Wise said. “Reviewing them should be part of the cruise ship security protocol.”
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