SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A Miami-Dade Fire Rescue lieutenant has bonded out of jail after being accused of secretly recording his coworkers in fire station bathrooms using a hidden camera disguised as a wall charger, authorities said.
Manuel Fernandez, 53, tried to sneak past 7News cameras after he left jail on Tuesday evening. He used his hoodie to try and cover his face, but he still faced questions about what he is being accused of.
When asked if he had anything to say, Fernandez said “No.”
He bonded out one day after being taken into custody.
He is charged with 11 counts of video voyeurism after, authorities said, he installed a covert camera inside employee-only bathrooms at two separate fire stations between February and April 2023.
According to the arrest warrant, the hidden camera, found by an MDFR employee on April 1, 2023, at Station 69 in Doral, contained a memory card with more than 600 video clips showing male and female firefighters in vulnerable situations.
Investigators said the bathrooms were used exclusively by emergency personnel during their 24-hour shifts and are considered private spaces not accessible to the public.
Eleven of the 18 victims captured on video have been positively identified, and all stated they never consented to being recorded, the warrant states.
The footage reportedly shows an unidentified man in an MDFR uniform adjusting the device.
When pressed on whether he put cameras in the bathroom as he is alleged to have done, Fernandez said “I have no idea.”
Fernandez had no response when 7News asked why they were accusing him, and left into an awaiting car.
But, detectives said, subsequent review of shift records linked Fernandez as the only employee working at both Station 69 and Station 66, the two locations where the hidden camera was used.
Miami Dade Fire Rescue released this statement, which says, in part:
“Miami-Dade Fire Rescue is aware of the arrest of a former employee. The individual was a firefighter who is no longer employed with the department. MDFR fully cooperated with law enforcement throughout their investigation, which led to the arrest of the former employee.”
Fernandez declined to speak to investigators during an April 2023 meeting at a recovery center in Hollywood but was observed wearing a silver watch similar to the one seen in the video footage, the affidavit states.
Authorities believe Fernandez intentionally installed the device to secretly record his colleagues while they used the bathroom.
It is unclear how long he has worked at MDFR and when his employment ended.
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