A Meriden, Conn., high school swim coach has been accused of recording a student in a girls’ locker room bathroom at Platt High School.
Daniel Barillaro Jr., 23, turned himself in on Tuesday after a warrant had been issued for his arrest, Meriden police said. He was charged with voyeurism after a student said he recorded them with his cell phone inside the school bathroom.
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In January 2023, the Meriden Police Special Crimes Unit began an investigation after a student at Platt High School reported that they saw a cellular phone recording in a bathroom while they were getting prepared to change after practice, police said.
Barillaro Jr., an assistant coach with the Platt swimming team, was identified as the suspect, and his phone was seized and later analyzed. Police found no additional acts of voyeurism or victims identified.
After an arrest warrant was obtained from the Meriden Superior Court, Barillaro Jr. turned himself in on Feb. 7 and was processed and released after posting a $5000 court set bond.
“The Meriden Police Department would like to acknowledge the bravery of this student to come forward and report this incident,” Lt. Darrin McKay said Wednesday.
Police said Barillaro Jr. was immediately placed on leave by Meriden Public School district after the allegations surfaced.
Meriden Mayor Kevin Scarpati also confirmed that Barillaro underwent a background check before being hired and described him as a longtime city resident.
In Connecticut, a voyeurism offense is a class A misdemeanor, punishable by a prison term of up to one year, a fine of up to $2,000, or both.
Barillaro Jr. is scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Meriden on Feb. 22.
Update – Feb. 24
According to a Meriden police report, Barillaro Jr. asked the 16-year-old girl to attend all boys’ practices on Jan. 5 for extra work, and she agreed.
The girls’ locker room was then locked when she attended the practice, so she had to change in the gym teacher’s bathroom. Before going in, Barillaro cut her off and asked if he could use the bathroom before her.
Once she was in the bathroom, she noticed a cell phone and a wallet on a towel rack. Upon further examination she realized the phone was recording her.
The student then pressed the stop button on the camera before leaving the changing area.
When police spoke to Barillaro Jr., he admitted to recording the student but said it was an accident. Police said he gave contradicting stories about what happened after the recording, with him saying he both deleted the video and then that he had no knowledge of the video.