A former Miami-Dade Fire Rescue lieutenant was arrested after he allegedly placed a hidden camera in station bathrooms and secretly recorded more than 600 video clips of female and male personnel.
Manuel Fernandez, 53, is facing 11 counts of video voyeurism.
According to his arrest warrant, on April 1, 2023, a fire rescue employee found a suspicious wall charger with a USB outlet, plugged into the electrical outlet in the men’s bathroom at Fire Station 69 on NW 74 Street in Doral.
The employee told his supervisors about it and they determined it was a “covert” video camera, according to the warrant.
The police were notified.
Shocking discovery on camera’s video card
The camera was taken to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Forensics Unit who discovered a single Micro-SD card which had more than 600 video clips on it of 18 male and female employees, according to the warrant.
The videos were dated from Feb. 11, 2023, to April 1, 2023.
“The Victims were video recorded while they were in their most vulnerable state, within their sanctuary where they had absolute expectation of privacy,” according to the warrant.
Investigators noted that the bathrooms in the videos were only accessible to employees and not the public.
Videos showed more than one station bathroom
Investigators found a video dated Feb. 20 which showed a man wearing a grey MDFR uniform and silver watch adjusting the camera in a bathroom, the warrant stated.
In a video dated March 12, investigators noted that the camera was in a different bathroom, a females-only bathroom, at MDFR Station 66 on SE 8 Street in Homestead.
“The Subject was the only employee working at both fire stations on the respective dates,” according to the warrant.
On April 24, 2023 when investigators tried to talk with Fernandez at JC’S Recovery and Counseling Center in Hollywood, he allegedly refused to do so without an attorney, according to the warrant.
Fernandez was put on leave during the investigation and later resigned.
On July 2, 2025 the warrant was issued for his arrest. He was taken into custody on July 7, charged and has since posted bond.
