Revere Man Accused Of Taking Upskirt Photos In Braintree Store

BRAINTREE, MA — A Revere man faces charges after allegedly upskirting customers at the Marshalls on Pearl Street.

Joel Gracias-Zavala, 29, was arrested Oct. 4 and charged with four counts of secret sexual surveillance. He was arraigned the next day in Quincy District Court, where he was released on personal recognizance and ordered to stay away from Marshalls and have no contact with the victims.

At about 7 p.m. on Oct. 4, officers responded to a report of a man inside the store who was using his phone to take under the skirt photos of women without their consent. After police located the suspect, identified Gracias-Zavala, he was taken outside, where he said he took photos of one woman because he liked her and admitted that he had a problem. When the officers asked to see his phone, Gracias-Zavala refused to hand it over and was arrested, according to a police report.

Inside the store, loss prevention was able to produce videos of Gracias-Zavala upskirting four women. Two of the victims were located, who both said they had no idea what he did. One woman said she noticed a creepy man walking around who wasn't really shopping but was unaware of his alleged actions.

At the police station, Gracias-Zavala changed his story and said he took photos of two women. He again refused to hand over his phone to police and was told by offices if he did not give up his phone, they would request a search warrant. The phone was eventually taken away and stored as evidence.

Gracias-Zavala is due back in court Nov. 17.

Image obtained in Quincy District Court