Man Walks Into Federal Prosecutor’s Office With Metal Bat, Damages Property in Newark: Officials
The Bergen County man entered the Newark U.S. Attorney’s Office with a metal baseball bat last week. He scared staff by breaking things. Federal authorities have charged him.
Police arrested 51-year-old Mahwah resident Keith M. Lisa for damaging federal property and having a dangerous weapon in a federal building. The US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey’s Peter Rodino Federal Building on Broad Street hosted the event on November 12.
Lisa’s Monday federal court appearance was unannounced. Federal prisoners are held in Monmouth County jail. No lawyer information was available at publication.
Lisa entered the lobby with a red and silver full-sized aluminum baseball bat, according to federal complaints. A guard asked him why he was there. Lisa instructed him to visit the “Attorney General Office.” The officer said federal buildings did not allow bats. Lisa returned minutes later without the bat and went through security.
He was angry, “irate,” and swore through the metal detector, according to court documents. He was screened again after hitting the machine, which angered him.
After clearing, Lisa took an elevator to the U.S. Attorney’s Office reception area. Staff told investigators he wanted to talk but got angry when they said walk-in meetings were forbidden. Two employees said Lisa looked angry, restless, and mumbled, making him hard to understand. One worker told the police Lisa looked like she was threatening to “tear the place up,” but they couldn’t hear her.
Lisa returned to the elevators from the front desk. While waiting, he pushed or hit two framed Department of Justice photos off the wall, a federal offense. An incident occurred after security guards saw him leave the building. Lisa allegedly followed another car through the parking lot gate to avoid paying the exit fee. Guards wrote down their black Cadillac license plates.
Federal leaders responded quickly online. In two messages, Attorney General Pam Bondi called the event an attack on Acting US Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba. She added that federal prosecutors will not be intimidated. Habba said she “will not be scared” at work and supported Bondi’s federal employee safety call. The federal complaint doesn’t name Habba, but online reports say the fight occurred near her team’s office.
Lisa was arrested Saturday by federal agents. Court documents say investigators examined building security camera footage, but officials have not stated how or where the arrest occurred. The complaint included that video. Lisa did it for unknown reasons, and the investigation continues.
Sources:
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Public court documents and criminal complaint filings
