Mitchell Morreale, 45, will likely be sentenced to probation instead of prison.
Mitchell Morreale (Lyndhurst PD) LYNDHURST - The former fire captain and youth football coach accused of videotaping teen girls as they used his bathroom pleaded guilty Thursday to fourth-degree invasion of privacy, according to northjersey.com.
Mitchell Morreale, 45, will likely be sentenced to probation instead of the three-to-five-year prison term he faced if convicted of the original charge of third-degree invasion of privacy. He has agreed to undergo sex-offender counseling but will not be required to register as a sex offender, according to the report.
The volunteer firefighter was arrested last June when four teenage girls told police they found an iPod in record mode in a bathroom closet. The 30 minutes of footage included images of Morreale setting up the camera, police said at the time. The girls used their cell phones to video part of the footage, which they turned over to police.
The girls had been attending a pool party at Morreale's Livingston Avenue home.
Fireman accused of bathroom recording
Morreale reportedly claimed through his attorney that he set up the recording because he suspected the children were using drugs in the bathroom.
The judge will decide whether to accept the plea agreement at Morreale's May sentencing, according to the report.
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.