By: Richard L. Smith
Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, along with Chief of Investigations Robert McNally and Roxbury Township Police Department Chief Dean Adone, have announced the arrest of 35-year-old Mr. Nicholas Zirpoli of Lincoln Park.
Zirpoli, the owner and operator of Plato's Closet, a clothing retail store in Roxbury Township, faces charges related to the production of explicit images of a minor and other related offenses.
These charges come in addition to previous accusations made in December 2023, which included nine counts of invasion of privacy and one count of tampering with evidence.
The allegations against Zirpoli date back to February 26, 2023, when he is accused of using a device to secretly record both male and female employees using the restroom at his store, followed by the destruction of evidence related to these acts.
Investigations further revealed that between late 2022 and early 2023, Zirpoli recorded a juvenile female employee and an adult male employee in the restroom on separate occasions.
Zirpoli's charges include manufacturing explicit images of a minor, filming a child in a prohibited sexual act, possession of explicit images of a minor, endangering the welfare of a child, ten counts of invasion of privacy, and tampering with evidence.
Following his arrest, Zirpoli was initially remanded to the Morris County Correctional Facility and was later released on pre-trial monitoring conditions on February 8, 2024, under the Criminal Justice Reform Act.
The Roxbury Township Police Department and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit led the investigation leading to Zirpoli’s arrest.
Authorities are urging anyone with information related to this case or any similar incidents to contact the Roxbury Township Police Department or the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.
It is important to note that a criminal complaint is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.