đ¨ RUTGERS DEAN PLACED ON PAID LEAVE AFTER ALLEGED âUPSKIRTâ VIDEO CHARGES
Rutgers University placed Dean Joshua Kohut on paid leave following his arrest for allegedly filming women without their consent on campus. The fifty-one-year-old professor faces invasion of privacy charges and is barred from the university while the criminal case proceeds.
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ â August 27, 2026 â A Rutgers University dean facing criminal charges over allegations that he secretly recorded videos of women has been placed on paid administrative leave, according to the university.
Joshua Kohut, 51, of Cranbury, is charged with fourth-degree invasion of privacy in connection with allegations involving recordings made on the Rutgers campus in New Brunswick.
According to the New Jersey Attorney Generalâs Office, Kohut allegedly used his personal cellphone to record videos showing womenâs intimate areas beneath their clothing. Authorities said electronic devices recovered during the investigation contained videos depicting a womanâs intimate areas while she was wearing undergarments.
The identities of the alleged victims have not been released, and authorities have not said whether they were Rutgers students or employees.
Kohut served as dean of research at Rutgersâ School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and has held multiple positions at the university during his approximately 29-year tenure. He has also worked as a research director at the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station and currently serves as a professor in Rutgersâ Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences.
Rutgers said Kohut will remain on paid leave while the criminal case proceeds. His reported annual salary is $203,412. A university spokeswoman said Kohut is prohibited from returning to campus while the criminal charges remain unresolved and described the allegations as âextremely disturbing.â
Rutgers has also launched an internal investigation into the allegations.
Kohut appeared in Middlesex County Superior Court Tuesday and was released under pretrial monitoring. He was represented by Vernon Estreicher, Esq., with the public defenderâs office.
His next court appearance is scheduled for 9 a.m. October 8 before Judge Flynn for a pre-indictment conference.
âď¸ IMPORTANT: The allegations and criminal charges against Kohut are not proof of guilt. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
đ˛ Garden State News Network will continue to follow developments in this case.