L.I. Man Accused Of Secretly Recording Women At Tanning Salons

LEVITTOWN, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A Long Island man is accused of secretly recording women at tanning salons.

Customers of Beach Bum Tanning were appalled to hear of the disturbing allegations. Police said a fellow customer of the salon was recording them as they were tanning in what they thought were private rooms, CBS2's Janelle Burrell reported Wednesday.

"It's disgusting. It's embarrassing. I didn't even know about it," customer Deborah Konetsky said.

Konetsky was clearly repulsed after learning what 22-year-old Jake Gabler-Colotti is accused of doing. According to investigators, the occasional customer was caught in the act inside by a female customer inside the Levittown salon. She said she saw him recording her while she was tanning in a private room.

"After she walked out of the room, she made a complaint to the manager behind the desk and the manager took action," a co-owner of the store told CBS2's Burrell.

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The co-owner, who identified himself only as "Rudy," said police were called and Gabler-Colotti was taken into custody at the salon soon after.

"Usually, the tanning rooms are private, but the tops are open. So, I guess maybe somebody is leaving something in the room. You just never know," local resident Hillary Raines said.

"You know, if you're in a dressing room of a department store or something like this, it would occur," the co-owner added.

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Investigators said other customers later complained that Gabler-Colotti allegedly recorded them at other Beach Bum locations, in Plainview and Seaford.

"He was basically taking his video camera (and) he would enter a tanning salon booth. He would place that video camera on top of a ledge and videotape either the one victim to the left or the right in the other tanning both," Nassau County Police Det. Lt. Richard LeBrun said.

CBS2 went to Gabler-Colotti's home in Wantagh, but no one answered the door.

Customers of the salon were unsettled, not knowing how many people the man allegedly spied on.

It's a lesson that you can never be too careful.

"I'm glad that he got caught," Tiffany Hart said. "It's obviously horrible to know that somebody ... but this is the world we live in now. Things happen and it could happen anywhere."

Gabler-Colotti was charged with unlawful surveillance, and police said there may be even more victims. Meanwhile, the co-owner of the salon said he's working with security companies, looking into options to better monitor the business.

Investigators said anyone who feels they may have been recorded should contact Second Squad at (516) 573-6253 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS.