The FAU Police Department arrested a local veterinarian for voyeurism after allegedly filming a student in the Boca Raton Student Union men’s restroom last spring semester. He is now awaiting trial, which is set for December.

According to FAUPD arrest records obtained from the Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, FAU student Jason Schwartz reported 30-year-old Bairon Madrigal, a veterinarian at Broward Avian & Exotic Animal Clinic, for allegedly recording him from the next stall inside the Student Union men’s restroom on Feb 10. According to the order setting hearing records from Sept. 29, Madrigal’s case is awaiting trial, scheduled for Dec. 8 through Dec. 23.

The court filings from May 25 detailed that Madrigal’s defense attorneys sought phone evidence that prosecutors have not yet submitted. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office released Madrigal on a $5,000 bond as he pleaded not guilty, according to agency records. The University Press reached out to Madrigal on Instagram for a statement, and he blocked the account. Broward Exotic Animal Clinic declined to speak on the matter. The University Press has also tried to reach out to Schwartz but found no contact information.

According to the arrest records, Schwartz asked Madrigal to stop recording him: “I’m seeing my entire image on your phone. Can you please stop?” The arrest records stated Madrigal then silently moved the phone from under the men’s restroom stall, saying nothing to the student.

Schwartz then left the restroom and reported the incident to the FAU police department. When officers confronted Madrigal, asking to see recent photos on his phone, he refused to hand it over to authorities, records state.

Madrigal told officers he was taking photos of himself in the restroom and said he was uncomfortable giving up his phone because of those images, according to the affidavit. He also claimed that he had dropped the phone and was reaching down to pick it up.

FAUPD officers reported that after considering the victim’s statement and Madrigal’s explanation that the probable cause was to charge him with voyeurism under Florida Statute 810.14, which prohibits secretly recording or observing individuals in places where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy.

Madrigal was searched, taken into custody, and booked into Palm Beach County Jail on Feb. 10 at 11:13 p.m., according to the arrest records. Following his arrest, police instructed him not to contact the victim and banned him from all FAU campuses while the case is ongoing.

Emily Ives is a Contributing Writer for the University Press. For more information on this or other stories, contact Ives at Eives2025@fau.edu.