OCEANSIDE — Law enforcement has arrested a teenage suspect and is looking for more potential victims after a hidden cellphone camera was discovered recording customers in the bathroom of a family-run Italian restaurant in Oceanside Harbor.
San Diego college student Ryann Kelly and a friend were dining at about 6 p.m. on July 18 at Dominic’s at the Harbor on Harbor Drive South. Kelly told The Coast News she noticed a teenage dishwasher looking at them with an odd expression as they entered the restroom together.
Kelly said that while inside, a hidden cell phone fell out of a wooden wardrobe next to the door. Upon closer inspection, the girls noticed the phone’s camera had been recording them. Browsing through the phone, the victims discovered what they said were hundreds of video recordings depicting restaurant patrons in various states of undress.
Following their discovery, Kelly said someone started “banging on the bathroom door,” and the women immediately called 911.
Kelly said her friend discreetly kept the phone in her purse as they waited for police to arrive. The frightened friends informed another customer, who had earlier taken his underage son into the bathroom, about the hidden camera, and he also called the police.
While waiting for the police, Kelly said Dominic’s employees started defending the cell phone’s owner and accusing the young women of fabricating the story.
However, investigators later determined the phone belonged to an underage employee who worked at the restaurant. The suspect, whose name was not released due to his age, was briefly detained by police before being released into the custody of his family.
A restaurant manager, who identified herself as the owner’s granddaughter, informed the victims that the owner was in Italy but had been planning to fire the teenage worker. According to the victims, the manager, who did not provide her name, asked them not to take legal action against the restaurant.
Kelly also claims the suspect’s family members arrived at the restaurant and threatened the pair not to press charges or pursue legal options. According to Kelly, it was “very apparent” that the employees of the restaurant wanted them to leave.
“(There’s) most definitely something big going on,” said Kelly.
A man working at the restaurant, who spoke to The Coast News but refused to identify himself, confirmed that the teenage dishwasher was no longer employed by the restaurant.
Law enforcement declined to comment on the status of the investigation or whether detectives had issued a search warrant for the employee’s cell phone.
Detectives from the Oceanside Police Department’s Family Protection Unit are still investigating the case and working to identify other victims. At this time, no other information can be made public.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Liciana Del Castillo at 760-435-4377.
