For many students, Stanford Shopping Center is a familiar weekend spot to shop, eat, and hang out with friends. But after a Macy’s security guard was charged with filming young girls through in-store security cameras, some are rethinking how safe they feel in places where surveillance is supposed to protect them.
According to The Almanac, 20-year-old Menlo Park resident Bernardo Garcia, who worked as a loss prevention officer at the Macy’s at Stanford Shopping Center, was arrested by Palo Alto police on April 7 after an eight-month investigation. Garcia was charged with felony possession of more than 600 obscene images of minors and two misdemeanor counts of using a concealed camera to invade someone’s privacy. Investigators said they found evidence that Garcia used Macy’s security cameras to zoom in on underage girls inside the store.
Prosecutors allege Garcia used a hidden security camera to look under or through the clothing of at least two young girls on July 4 and 5, 2025. Macy’s told NBC Bay Area that customer safety is its “top priority” and that the company was cooperating with Palo Alto police. Garcia is set to return to court in June for a plea hearing.
Student Reactions
For some students, the allegations felt especially unsettling due to the proximity of Stanford Shopping Center and visits being a part of their routine. Junior Aleah Nelson goes to the mall around three times a month with friends. She occasionally visits Macy’s and recently stopped by to try on prom dresses. When she heard about the case, her initial reaction was disgust. “It’s really disgusting, because it’s very possible that that could be me,” she said.
Freshman Clare Duran goes to Stanford Shopping Center and often visits Macy’s, and found the news frightening. “It’s crazy [that] someone did that,” she said. “Scary the fact that I’m a minor and I’ve been there before.” Although she was not completely surprised that something like this could happen, knowing it happened close to M-A made it feel more alarming…