Rutgers Dean Accused Of Taking Upskirt Videos On His Phone

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — A dean at Rutgers was arrested this week after he was accused of taking "up skirt" videos with his cell phone.

Joshua Kohut, 51, is charged with fourth-degree invasion of privacy.

He works as the dean of research at Rutgers' School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.

He is accused of using his personal cell phone to record "upskirt videos," said New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport. This happened on the Rutgers campus in New Brunswick, she said. A spokesman for the Attorney General did not immediately answer when asked if his alleged victims were Rutgers students or fellow faculty.

A search warrant was executed Monday and devices belonging to Kohut were seized. One of the seized devices was found to contain ‘upskirt’ videos of a woman's undergarment-clad intimate parts, said the state Attorney General.

Kohut lives in Cranbury.

“The defendant is alleged to have used his mobile phone to record ‘upskirt’ videos without his victim’s knowledge,” said Davenport. “An invasion of privacy like this is not just disturbing, it is also a criminal act. We will prosecute accordingly.”

"The university placed Josh Kohut on an administrative leave after being informed of the extremely disturbing charges," a Rutgers spokeswoman said Tuesday. "The research dean also is banned from campus pending the outcome of an investigation."

He is on a paid leave, clarified Rutgers.

If you or anyone you know may have been a victim, you may contact the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety at: Lt. Jon Norcia 609-780-5449 or NorciaJ@njdcj.org.

In 2024, Patch interviewed Kohut at length for this article about a Wind Energy Research Center, a project he was spearheading at Rutgers, where he and his team would study offshore wind. At the time, they were trying to invent a floating offshore wind turbine. Rutgers Seeks Funding For Wind Energy Research Center (January 2024)