Filipino cruise worker arrested in Florida for planting spy cameras in bathroom

Photo from Symphony Of The Seas/Facebook

MANILA: A 34-year-old Filipino cruise ship worker accused of hiding cameras to spy on guests was arrested at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale Florida over the weekend.

According to federal documents, Arvin Joseph Mirasol, a stateroom attendant in Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas had been planting hidden cameras in a bathroom and targeting the guests, particularly underage girls.

On Feb 25, a woman and her two young daughters stumbled upon a concealed camera in their bathroom “affixed to the counter underneath the sink” which prompted Mirasol’s detainment at sea by ship security officers, as confirmed by Broward Sheriff’s Office.

One day after setting sail from South Florida, Mirasol found himself facing federal charges — voyeurism and possession and production of child pornography.

Furthermore, the discovery of “numerous videos of naked females undressing in the bathroom” and child porn videos saved on his USB stick fuelled the allegations against the Filipino cruise worker.

Authorities also found videos showing Mirasol installing a camera in a guest’s bathroom. The Filipino cruise worker admitted to his obsession with spying — targeting guests, particularly young girls. This all began during his tenure on the ship last December.

“I want to control it, but I can’t,” he shared with the investigators. The investigators also asked him how he picked the rooms where he installed the spy cameras.

“If I like who is in that room, I place it,” answered Mirasol, also confirming that he targeted teenage girls 16 years and older.

According to the Associated Press, the Filipino cruise worker revealed that he went inside the rooms and hid under the bed while guests were taking a shower.

Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean was quick to take action. Expressing their “zero-tolerance stance on such an unacceptable behaviour,” they stated in a Local 10 News report that they “immediately reported this to law enforcement and terminated the crew member.” - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN