EASTHAMPTON — A city firefighter who allegedly admitted to his supervisor that he has a “problem with voyeurism” is charged with putting cameras in the women’s locker room at the Public Safety Complex on Payson Avenue, and police are investigating his electronic devices to see if there are more videos.
Nicholas Tillman, 38, of Westfield, was arrested and arraigned in Northampton District Court on Thursday. He pleaded not guilty to charges of secret sexual surveillance and unlawful secret recording, according to court records.
Tillman was released on personal recognizance and is due in court for a pretrial conference on Aug. 16.
Fire Chief Christopher Norris did not respond to a voicemail or an email seeking comment and inquiring about Tillman’s employment status on Monday.
A probable cause summary filed in court by Easthampton Police Detective Rick J. Rogalski states that a female firefighter discovered two cameras in separate lockers on Wednesday morning and told her supervisor, who called the police. The firefighter guarded the locker room to make sure no one took the cameras before detectives arrived.
Easthampton police called in a forensic technology expert at the Northampton Police Department, who analyzed the devices and retrieved video files that showed female employees changing their clothes, apparently unaware that their actions and, in some cases, their voices were being recorded, Rogalski wrote.
“Some of the deleted files from the SD cards were recovered and showed the camera recording in a different location within the women’s locker room, from under the sink and aimed toward the shower,” the report reads.
Detectives put their own camera in the locker room to watch whoever entered and tried to retrieve the cameras. Department leadership gave permission and female firefighters were notified. On Thursday, police said, Tillman was seen entering the room at around 8 a.m. and checking the two lockers where the cameras had been discovered.
“I was informed that Tillman went into Deputy Chief [Kevin] Benson’s office and confessed to him about placing the cameras in the women’s locker room,” Rogalski wrote.
Citing a statement from Benson, Rogalski wrote that Tillman “informed DC Benson that he has a problem with voyeurism,” then called his wife and told her that he expected to be arrested.
According to Rogalski, Benson’s statement added “that on a typical shift Tillman spends most of his free time in his dorm room on his personal laptop” and police believe the footage from the locker room “could be stored on that device.”
“[I]t is reasonable to believe that he may have other videos stored on other electronic devices or memory devices i.e. thumb drives, SD cards and external hard drives that may be located in his bunkroom or lockers at work or in his home” in Westfield, Rogalski wrote.
Tillman was hired in 2018. Jared Olanoff, a defense attorney for Tillman, declined to comment.
“This type of behavior is an assault against women, our public safety professionals and the city of Easthampton,” City Councilor At-Large Brad Riley said in a statement to the Gazette. “I’m so proud of the organized and swift response from our Police and Fire Department leadership. Thank you as well to the Northampton Police Department for the assistance.”
Mayor Nicole LaChapelle did not respond to an email seeking comment Monday.
Brian Steele can be reached at bsteele@gazettenet.com.