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Videos surfaced online depicting individuals engaged in mundane tasks such as shopping or dining, but these were disturbingly paired with inappropriate or sexualized captions.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Authorities from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office are currently probing a series of TikTok accounts accused of uploading clandestinely recorded videos of women and children in the First Coast area.
The now-removed content featured unsuspecting women and young girls going about their day in local stores and eateries. These clips were often accompanied by captions that objectified the subjects in a sexual or suggestive manner.
In one instance, a caption read, “Jacksonville Florida sexy white teenage girls shopping inside Five Below.”
Jacksonville resident Dawn Pattishall expressed her outrage, stating, “I haven’t seen the videos myself, but my 18-year-old daughter has. It’s revolting and a complete breach of privacy.”
Many of the accounts associated with the videos have been banned, but screenshots continue circulating online.
One viewer even commented that someone had recorded his stepdaughter, asking others what he could do about it.
While Florida law makes it a crime to secretly record someone in private areas such as bathrooms or changing rooms, the law offers less protection in public spaces.
Former federal chief assistant prosecutor Curtis Fallgatter said the behavior could still amount to a criminal offense under the state’s stalking statute.
“It’s obviously perceived by those victims as a form of exploitation,” Fallgatter said. “There’s a stalking statute that could possibly apply. In other words, the stalking statute says if you’re inflicting emotional distress for no legitimate purpose, that’s a crime. So I don’t know what the legitimate purpose would be and certainly young children walking around shouldn’t be sexualized, so there’s a fair argument there they would violate that stalking statute. That’s a crime. It also permits the victims to get an injunction.”
In a statement, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office confirmed it has received screenshots from residents and is reviewing the allegations:
We would always remind people while out and about in a public setting, the potential exists to be captured on video or in pictures being taken by others. If the feeling is these pictures overstep into a privacy concern, or become construed as a potential criminal act – they can feel free to call JSO for a response and vetting of the scenario into a possible report writing and follow-up investigation.
“It’s a sad truth,” Pattishall said. “Now more than ever, we have to be aware of where we are and what we’re doing because anybody could be filming you at any time.”