Egg Harbor Bathroom Stall Video Taker Released From Jail

An Egg Harbor City man accused of taking secret videos of men in bathrooms at local businesses was released from jail Monday until his trial.

Daniel Zhang, 23, of Egg Harbor City was arrested last week after an investigation showed he had recorded multiple men in bathrooms at businesses over several months, including the Mays Landing Planet Fitness and area Wawas.

Zhang is facing 15 counts of invasion of privacy after 49 videos of men in public bathrooms were found on his phone.

He appeared before Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Joseph Levin on Monday,  who agreed to release him on the conditions that he has weekly check-ins with the court, has no contact with any of the victims in the case, and uses only a cell phone without a camera.

The judge is taking into account that Zhang does not have a criminal record and is not expected to be a flight risk, although he admitted this was a difficult decision.

"If you violate the release order, I'm not sure if you'll be released again. It was already a close call for you to be released."

 

Prosecutor Finds Release Troubling

Atlantic County  Assistant Prosecutor Alexandria Peters spoke out against the release, according to the Press of Atlantic City.

'He indicated he made these videos because he was attracted to the victims...Despite all this, the defendant couldn't control his own behavior and refrain from recording strangers and their intimate parts.  This is someone acting on impulse when they're exposed and very vulnerable."

Zhang's attorney argued that his client had stopped shooting the videos in September and had cooperated with police.

"He has undergone psychological evaluation and is pending treatment. I'm not minimizing my client's conduct...but the state hasn't shown that no conditions could be put in place for his release."

 

Daniel Zhang will be back in court on April 25.