MPD investigating allegations of voyeurism in UP Mall dressing room

MISHAWAKA, Ind. – Mishawaka Police confirm they are investigating allegations of voyeurism at University Park Mall. According to the mother of the 13-year-old victim, a grown man was using his cell phone to capture images of the teen while she was in an Aeropostale dressing room.

“I want this man to be caught,” the mother, who wished to stay anonymous, said.

That mother says her daughter was doing back-to-school shopping with her friend and her friend’s mother. While the teen was in the dressing room, her friend, who was outside of the stall, witnessed a man with his phone appearing to try to capture images of the young girl.

“She kept saying “Hollie, Hollie,” and Hollie didn’t hear her. So then, she Facetimed her outside the stall to inside the stall and told her there’s a guy with his phone under the stall door,” the victim’s mother said.

At that point, she says her daughter saw the phone and the man walked away.

The mother says the other girl’s mother made sure mall security was called. The manager of the store confronted the man, who denied the allegations, but did not get his name, according to the victim’s mother.

A mall spokesperson says the man was gone by the time security got there.

“They should have gotten his name. If someone steals something, they call the police. They didn’t call the police on somebody filming a child in the dressing room,” The mother said.

The mother was at work at the time. She says she rushed to the mall as soon as she heard what had happened. She called the police. She says they arrived nearly an hour and a half after the incident.

There are conflicting stories about why police weren’t called earlier.

University Park Mall released the following statement:

“The safety of our guests and employees is always our top priority. We were disturbed to hear about the situation that transpired last Friday because everyone’s experiences at the mall should be fun and positive. But it’s also important to know that our team responded to this incident immediately and that there remains some confusion as to what transpired onsite. We are pleased that the police are looking into the situation and we will work closely with them during their investigation.”

Mishawaka Police would not comment about the case because it is an on-going investigation.