A dean at Rutgers University in New Jersey has been charged with invasion of privacy after prosecutors said he secretly recorded "upskirt" videos on his mobile phone. Joshua Kohut, 51, of Cranberry, serves as Dean of Research for the university's School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and has been a faculty member since 2008. Rutgers has placed him on administrative leave and banned him from campus while an investigation continues, saying it acted immediately upon learning of the "extremely disturbing charges."

Investigators found the videos on one of Kohut's electronic devices, which was seized under a warrant, leading to a fourth-degree invasion of privacy charge. A state attorney general condemned the alleged conduct as both disturbing and criminal, vowing prosecution, and Kohut faces up to 18 months in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted. Kohut holds a PhD in Physical Oceanography from Rutgers, obtained in 2002, and has been involved in research on storm intensity, offshore wind and polar ecosystems; he has not yet responded to requests for comment.