The alleged incident happened at a Target store located in Swansea, Massachusetts.
Authorities have arrested and charged John Williams, 25, for filming the teen with his cell phone while she was nude in a changing room, according to news outlet NBC 10 Boston.
The teen’s mother, who was interviewed by AFN, says her daughter was trying on bathing suits when she noticed something on the floor. What it turned out to be, she says, was a cell phone that had been placed there to film her inside the dressing room.
“When she went to kick the camera, she saw herself on it. She saw her foot go to kick it, and she saw her body on it,” the mother recalls. “And as she saw that, she saw this person take the phone away."
The mother has told AFN she wants to be referred to simply as “Sandra” for this article. The teenager is not being identified because she is a minor.
According to Sandra, the Target store did not have a store employee working in the area. That is a serious safety mistake, she says.
“I was mad. I was fuming,” she says. “They're just making it so simple and so easy for predators to victimize young women, or men, whoever.”
Sandra describes her daughter as an innocent teenager, who has never had a boyfriend or kissed a boy, and now she must worry if the video will find its way onto the Internet.
According to NBC News 10 Boston, authorities arrested Williams at home where he was changing his appearance with hair clippers.
The 25-year-old allegedly told police “I made a mistake” but has pleaded not guilty to serious charges that include photographing a child; possession of child pornography; and disorderly conduct.
