Prosecutor: Man Indicted in Red Bank ‘Upskirting’ Incident

A Monmouth County Grand Jury has returned a five-count indictment against a Somerset County man accused of taking lewd photographs of a juvenile female at a Red Bank car dealership last year, in a manner commonly described as “upskirting,” Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced on Wednesday.

David M. Chapinski, 41, of the Somerset section of Franklin Township, has been indicted on the charges of: first-degree manufacturing of child sexual abuse materials, second-degree manufacturing of child sexual abuse materials, third-degree invasion of privacy, and two counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

The case background …

The incident in question took place shortly after 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 2, 2021 at a car dealership in Red Bank, according to an investigation by Red Bank police, assisted by members of the Prosecutor’s Office.

The investigation revealed that while at the dealership, a man, later identified as Chapinski, snuck up to a teenage girl wearing a dress, who was on site looking at vehicles with her parents and two siblings, placed his cell phone flat in the palm of his hand, and surreptitiously placed it between the girl’s legs from behind in order to take photographs.

Chapinski was arrested and charged in August of 2021.

“The act of ‘upskirting’ isn’t just disturbing, degrading, and demeaning — it’s illegal. We are concerned that there may be more victims, and urge anyone who may have been victimized in this way to contact MCPO Sgt. Shawn Murphy at 800-533-7443 or Red Bank Police Department Detective Sean Hauschildt at 732-530-2700. Such criminal conduct will not be tolerated
in Monmouth County.”
Acting Prosecutor Lori Linskey

If convicted of the first-degree crime he is charged with, Chapinski could face up to 20 years in state prison, with the possibility of up to 10 years for a conviction on the second-degree charge.

— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office