Rutgers dean banned from campus after being hit with 'extremely disturbing charges' for allegedly recording 'upskirt' videos

A Rutgers University research dean has been accused of filming "upskirt" videos, according to authorities.

New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and the Division of Criminal Justice on Tuesday announced that 51-year-old Joshua Kohut of Cranbury was arrested for "allegedly recording 'upskirt' videos while working at Rutgers University."

'An invasion of privacy like this is not just disturbing, it is also a criminal act.'

Kohut, who is employed as the dean of research at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, was charged with fourth-degree invasion of privacy.

A fourth-degree invasion of privacy conviction has a maximum prison sentence of up to 18 months and a fine of up to $10,000.

The Daily Mail reported that Kohut was released on bail.

The attorney general said a search warrant was executed Monday following an investigation.

Law enforcement seized five devices belonging to Kohut, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The DA's statement indicated that "one of the seized devices was found to contain 'upskirt' videos of another individual’s undergarment-clad intimate parts."

"The defendant is alleged to have used his mobile phone to record 'upskirt' videos without his victim’s knowledge," Davenport stated. "An invasion of privacy like this is not just disturbing, it is also a criminal act. We will prosecute accordingly."

Officials did not say if the victim is involved with Rutgers, NJ.com reported.

The New York Post noted, "However, the criminal complaint indicates that Kohut and the victim may have known each other in some capacity."

The criminal complaint stated that an incident occurred in New Brunswick, home to Rutgers University's New Brunswick regional campus, where the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences is located.

Rutgers told the New York Post that Kohut has been placed on paid administrative leave after being informed of the "extremely disturbing charges."

The school added, "The research dean is also banned from campus pending the outcome of an investigation."

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Rutgers University appointed Kohut to the position of School of Environmental and Biological Sciences Dean of Research/New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Director of Research on Jan. 1, 2025.

Laura Lawson, executive dean and executive director, SEBS/NJAES, said in the January 2025 announcement: "Josh came to Rutgers more than 27 years ago as a graduate student and has experienced the university in many capacities: student, staff, faculty, and administrator."

The statement continued, "His teaching responsibilities include contributing to first-year courses for students interested in Marine and Coastal Science research through the Oceanography House learning community and a research focused class that is currently undertaking an undergraduate student-led project to conduct the first circumnavigation of an autonomous underwater robot around the world."

The official Rutgers University website says of Kohut: "His research explores the use of ocean observing technologies — radar, sensors, gliders, etc. — to model ocean systems, enabling multidisciplinary process studies of the dynamics of the coastal ocean."

Kohut's biography on the official Rutgers University website states, "I am involved in many research and education programs that range in scope from storm intensity, offshore wind, and local water quality monitoring off the NJ coast; regional fisheries along the U.S. east coast; and environmental studies of polar ecosystems in the coastal waters surrounding Antarctica."

Open Payrolls — a nationwide public salary database — stated of Kohut: "One of the most recent records in 2025 lists a job of Sr Assoc Dir-Njaes/Dir Coop Re and a pay of $196,533.91."

The Daily Mail said Kohut's wife, Courtney Kohut — an assistant director at Princeton University — declined to comment on the charges against her husband.

The attorney general's office urged anyone who may have been a victim of Kohut to contact Lt. Jon Norcia at the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety at 609-780-5449.

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