New jersey plumber sentenced to 8 years for secretly recording 27 women, fleeing police stop

FREEHOLD, N.J. — A Red Bank man has been sentenced to eight years in state prison for secretly recording 27 women and girls without their consent and fleeing from police during a traffic stop, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced Wednesday.

Plumbing is a dirty job, but for this plumber, it was a different kind of dirty.

Christopher W. Cox, 35, received the sentence Friday from Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Joseph W. Oxley after pleading guilty last year to multiple charges, including second-degree eluding police, two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and three counts of third-degree invasion of privacy.

As part of his sentence, Cox will be under Parole Supervision for Life and must register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law.

Authorities said Cox was first identified in October 2022 after he was seen following women around the ShopRite of Shrewsbury, appearing to secretly record them with his cell phone.

A week later, Cox fled a traffic stop in Red Bank after initially complying with police, only to reenter his vehicle and speed away, nearly dragging an officer.

Investigators later recovered numerous videos showing women and girls secretly filmed from below using hidden cameras placed in shopping baskets and bags. Some footage was also recorded inside clients’ homes while Cox worked as a plumber.

In April 2024, a Monmouth County grand jury indicted Cox on 67 counts, later amended to cover all 27 victims. He admitted to the crimes during his plea hearing in October.

“The deeply disturbing nature and scope of the conduct exhibited by this defendant underscored a clear mandate for justice,” Prosecutor Santiago said.

Cox’s sentence reflects the severity of his crimes and aims to deter similar behavior.

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