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Man arrested for installing recording device in neighbor's apartment
A 27-year-old man is accused of repeatedly breaking into a woman’s apartment where, police say, the man planted a hidden camera that was disguised as a phone charger and committed lewd acts.
UPPER MERION TOWNSHIP, Pa. - A 27-year-old man is accused of repeatedly breaking into a woman’s apartment where, police say, the man planted a hidden camera that was disguised as a phone charger and committed lewd acts.
Upper Merion police say there may be more victims.
They look like average chargers. The ones many of us have several of, but there is one with a tiny hole in the center. Police say it was used to spy on an unsuspecting victim.
"My neighbor knocked on my door, told my fiancé about what happened and to look out for a camera in my apartment," said Hayley Hunter who lives in Kingswood Apartments, where the incident happened.
"I think it’s terrifying, especially being a girl her age, as well. It’s real scary," she said.
Upper Merion police say they got a call from the victim last Sunday.
"It’s one of the most despicable things I’ve ever heard," said Chief Tom Nolan. He says the victim found the black phone charging device plugged into the wall of her studio apartment.
The ones she owns are white.
"When she pulls it out of the wall, she can see that it has a pinhole and appears to be a camera," said Chief Nolan. Detectives say they were able to recover deleted files from the SD card inside the device.
"There are videos on those files of the victim in various stages of undress, but there is also video of the suspect himself laying in her bed committing a sex act in her bed when she is out for the day," he said.
Police have identified the suspect as 27-year-old Ryan Selleny. They say the victim recalled having an encounter two days before finding the recording device with a man who randomly knocked on her door asking to take her on a date. Police say that info combined with images on the video they recovered and using facial recognition led them to the suspect.
"He lives in the building directly across from her," said Chief Nolan.
Investigators believe he has been in the victim’s apartment before. They don’t know yet how he was getting in.
Police say he also left bodily fluids in the victim’s refrigerator and they believe there may be more than this one victim. They say Selleny is a neighbor who has lived in the complex for about a year and is from western Pennsylvania. If you’ve seen any suspicious behavior or interaction with him, call 610-265-3232.
Selleny has been arrested and charged. He’s being held on $50,000 cash bail.