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Surprise PD: 'Peeping Tom' caught on camera and arrested, says it gave him a 'rush'

Surprise police believe there may be more victims out there and urge anyone who has video of the suspect to contact them.

SURPRISE, Ariz. — A man in Surprise has been arrested on voyeurism charges after police say he was seen on camera looking into multiple windows.

According to police records, Evan Matthew Hanhardt, 28, admitted to committing the crimes and said peering in windows gave him a "rush."

For over a week, residents in the quiet community near Mountain View Blvd. and Parkview Place were catching Hanhardt on their doorbell cameras. He was seen walking up to random windows and looking inside. In some cases, he would use a flashlight to look in.

“Yeah, it's pretty scary. You think you live in a safe area and then come to find out somebody's peeping on our neighbors and our community, and it's very upsetting," said Stephanie Ortiz, who lives in the neighborhood.

Neighbors began posting similarly unsettling videos to a community Facebook group, wondering who the man was and what he was looking for.

“There's a lot of kids, tons of kids," Ortiz said, describing her neighborhood. "Elderly people, every age group really. And yeah, that's scary.”

On Monday night after 9 p.m., police say Hanhardt was back again. But this time, an off-duty Maricopa County Sheriff's Office detention officer caught him in the act and detained him until Surprise PD arrived.

“Certainly, this is very disturbing for a young lady to look outside her window and see some man looking in. Obviously very concerning to our community members," said Sgt. Tommy Hale, a public information officer with Surprise PD.

Police records say Hanhardt admitted to the crimes and told police he believes he has a pornography addiction. Documents claim he said he would go for walks at night and look for homes with lights on or blinds open. Then, he would walk up to the windows and look inside.

Police say Hanhardt told them he had first peered into a window as a teenager while living in California and only recently picked up the disturbing habit again.

“As a result of him self-admitting during the interview, we ended up booking him on eight counts of voyeurism which is a class five felony here in the state of Arizona," Hale said.

Given how often the suspect was allegedly seen on camera, Surprise police believe there may be more victims. 

If you believe this happened to you or if you have video of him looking through your window, you're urged to contact police. You can call them at 623-222-TIPS or email them at crimetips@surpriseaz.gov.

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