A stay away order of protection has been granted against a West Hempstead man accused of recording a teen inside her home.

Detectives say Walter Rivas was hired by a 19-year-old through Joroba Pest Control to exterminate her apartment.

They say while he was spraying her home, some of the chemicals got on the victim and he suggested she change her clothes.

That's when police say the teen noticed a cellphone recording her from a bucket with a hole in it.

News 12 spoke to the victim, who did not want to be identified. She said she “felt bad” and “didn’t know what to do.” She said she was home with her nephews at the time of the incident.

According to court documents, Rivas said, “I made a mistake.”

The defendant is charged with unlawful surveillance. It is not a bail eligible offense, and he was released on his own recognizance at his arraignment. Rivas didn’t answer reporters’ questions at the Hempstead courthouse.

Jojoba Pest Control, the company Rivas had been working for at the time, released this statement:

"JOROBA PEST CORP, is deeply disturbed by the recent incident involving one of our former employees. We condemn the actions of the individual in question, as they do not reflect the values or standards of our company. We take matters of sexual assault and invasion of privacy extremely seriously, and the behavior exhibited by the former employee is inexcusable and reprehensible.

Upon learning of the incident, we immediately terminated the individual's employment with our company. We have also reached out to the authorities and offered our full cooperation with any investigation into this matter. We are committed to ensuring that justice is served.

We want to assure our customers and the public that we hold ourselves to the highest standards of professionalism and ethical conduct. The safety and well-being of our customers are our top priorities, and we will take all necessary steps to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future."

Detectives are asking anyone else who believes they may have been a victim to call the Third Squad at 516-573-6353.