LOWELL, MASS. (WHDH) - A Lawrence man is accused of secretly recording a young girl using his cell phone in a locker room stall at the Greater Lowell YMCA last month, according to police.
Joel Giron, 28, is charged with photographing sexual or intimate parts of a child. He was tracked down and arrested at his home on Oregon Avenue following the incident.
On October 21, 2026, Lawrence police said they were called to the YMCA for a report of a man recording a young girl in the locker room. When officers arrived, the girl’s mother told them her daughter was changing out of her swimsuit when she noticed someone recording her from the next stall over. Police said the girl’s mother observed a man, later identified as Giron, come out from the neighboring stall, and followed him into the hallway. When confronted, Giron said, “no inglés,” and continued walking, according to court records.
In a statement, Greater Lowell YMCA CEO Kevin Morrissey wrote in part, “We are deeply disturbed that a visitor to the Greater Lowell YMCA who was utilizing our nationwide membership program, allegedly filmed a minor inside our family locker room. That any Y member, especially a minor, would be subjected to such a gross invasion of privacy in our facilities is entirely unacceptable. Police were immediately called to the YMCA and we are working with the Lowell Police Department to support them in any way we can during its investigation and prosecution. This person has since been arrested and has now been flagged and banned in all YMCA systems across the country.”
Police said Giron had active warrants out for his arrest for crimes including lewdness.
Giron had a competency hearing in court, and was recommended to undergo further evaluation.
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