SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A woman celebrating her birthday weekend in San Diego made a disturbing discovery when she found a hidden camera in a public restroom at a local market, prompting a police investigation.
“I wanted to come to San Diego to Balboa Park to enjoy the picnic, I'm celebrating my birthday in a couple of days,” said Rabecca Johnston.
On Sunday, Johnston went into Bi-Rite Market in Bankers Hill to use the restroom.
She walked out ready to file a police report.
“I went to the bathroom and I could see in front of me there's a box on a shelf with a hole cut out in it,” said Johnston. “I record finding the camera in the box. So I, I took, put the camera in my back pocket and just left to call for help.”
She told her boyfriend they needed to leave the market immediately and call 911.
“Yeah, there was like a lot of red. I was really angry,” said Jeremy Collins, Johnston’s boyfriend.
An officer came to investigate a few hours later.
“They said that they were going to, they're actually bringing the camera to see if they hear the notification in there,” said Johnston, explaining that the doorbell-like camera pinged when pressed.
I asked the staff of the Bi-Rite Market if they wanted to comment, but they declined.
“What does your mind go to as who could potentially be behind this?” I asked.
“Just bad people, creepy people, bored, I don't know if they're doing it for money. Just not good, not good people, and they probably have done it before to other people and it's horrible,” said Johnston.
“A lot of people need to be careful of these things and remind your family, especially the girls in your family, to be aware of the surroundings, especially in bathrooms,” said Collins.
We reached out to the San Diego Police Department for a statement.
They told us "The San Diego Police Department is investigating a report of a camera found hidden in a public restroom of a business on the 2200 block of 1st street."
Follow ABC 10News Reporter Ava Kershner on Instagram, Facebook, and X.