Andrew Farago, ‘Batman’ Writer Arrested Over Hidden Bathroom Camera Involving Children

Andrew Farago, well-known pop culture author who also wrote for Batman and The Comics Journal, and longtime curator of San Francisco’s Cartoon Art Museum, was arrested earlier this month on 20 counts of invasion of privacy. He allegedly hiding a phone to record guests in his bathroom during a birthday party, according to Berkeley police and court records.

Farago, 54, hosted a birthday party at his South Berkeley house on May 23 and allegedly used a cellphone to secretly record people using his bathroom, according to court records. He was arrested June 3 on suspicion of invasion of privacy by using a hidden camera to secretly record someone under their clothing.

Days earlier, Farago had posted on social media about celebrating his 50th birthday. More than 20 people attended, including six or seven children ranging in age from 3 and older, according to police. During the party, a woman found a video showing Farago “setting the phone up, concealing it with a towel, and aiming it to record people’s genitalia as they used the restroom,” Berkeley police said in court records. Farago “made admissions and also stated that he had deleted the videos” from his phone and iCloud, according to those same records.

Farago allegedly emailed guests after the party, writing: “I hid my phone in our bathroom for the purpose of spying on our guests, my closest friends in the world. I had never done anything like that before and don’t know what possessed me to do it,” in an email he sent to guests afterwards. “This was an inexcusable violation of your privacy and our friendship and I am prepared to face whatever consequences will come from this tremendous lapse in judgment.”

Farago was once listed as the curator at the San Francisco Cartoon Art Museum but is no longer employed there.