TSA agent at Sea-Tac charged with voyeurism; witness describes incident
SEA-TAC, Wash.-- The TSA agent accused of looking up a woman’s skirt and recording it on his phone while on an escalator has now been charged with voyeurism.
According to court documents, investigators set up a sting operation to catch the agent in the act.
John Comes said he was at Sea-Tac Airport last month for a flight to Florida when he noticed a TSA agent on an escalator acting unusual.
“I noticed a TSA agent coming up and he was standing really close to the woman in front of him,” said Comes.
“As they approached the top, I noticed there was a light on and the light was illuminating from below and had the light on his phone on. It wasn’t until they got off and started walking and they were walking away, I was like oh, oh, I know what he was doing. He was taking a picture up the woman’s skirt.”
By the time he realized what happened, both the TSA agent and the unsuspecting victim were gone, but he said he couldn’t let it end there.
What he saw prompted the Port of Seattle Police and TSA agents to put Nicholas Fernandez under surveillance and reportedly catch him doing it again.
“My first thought was did I just see what I thought I saw,” said Comes. “It was surprising that I happened to be the person who saw it.”
Paul Vera said he met Fernandez to rent out his house. Vera knew the 29-year-old worked at the airport but never imagined he’d be accused of criminal activity, especially while on the job.
“It's bizarre, he did not seem like that kind of person,” said Vera. “Those guys are placed there to basically serve and protect, monitor the kind of stuff that he was actually found doing.”
It’s why Comes felt compelled to report what he saw, first with a tweet to the TSA and then with a phone call to the Port of Seattle Police. He said he’d like to think anyone else would have done the same.
“Considering it was a TSA agent, we get judged by our choices and the things that we do,” said Comes. “I want to make sure I do the good thing and report the things I see.”
Fernandez pleaded not guilty Thursday; his bail was raised from $7500 to $20,000 at the request of prosecutors.