A New Jersey man, implicated in the vandalism of U.S. Attorney Alina Habba’s office in Newark, has been apprehended following a statewide manhunt, federal prosecutors have confirmed. The arrest took place over the weekend.
Keith Michael Lisa, a 51-year-old resident of Barnegat, now faces charges of possessing a dangerous weapon in a federal facility and damaging federal property, according to an announcement by Habba on Tuesday. Lisa appeared in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge José Almonte in Newark on Monday and was subsequently detained.
The Department of Justice reported that on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, Lisa entered the Peter Rodino Federal Building in Newark shortly before 5 p.m. carrying a full-size aluminum baseball bat. When he stated his intention to visit the Attorney General’s Office, security personnel informed him that the bat was considered a prohibited weapon and could not be brought into the building.
Authorities stated that Lisa initially left the building but returned a few minutes later without the bat. Witnesses recounted that he seemed agitated and was “mumbling as he passed through security.”
The FBI has issued a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Keith Michael Lisa, who is accused of entering the Peter W. Rodino Federal Building in Newark on November 12, 2025, and causing damage to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Once inside, Lisa is alleged to have made threats about “tearing the place up” before proceeding to knock framed items off the walls and causing damage in the reception area of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in an X post Saturday that the suspect “is now in custody,” crediting the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Homeland Security Investigations for tracking Lisa down.
“No one will get away with threatening or intimidating our great U.S. Attorneys or the destruction of their offices,” Bondi wrote.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the suspect wanted in the attack on U.S. Attorney Alina Habba’s Newark office “is now in custody,” crediting federal agents for the arrest. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
After learning law enforcement was looking for him, Lisa went into hiding, prosecutors said.
His capture required a “coordinated, statewide effort” involving the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Protective Service, New Jersey State Police and local departments in Mahwah and Barnegat. He was arrested in the early morning hours of Nov. 15.
Habba praised the swift work of law enforcement in bringing Lisa into custody, saying, “We got him. This Justice Department under Attorney General Pam Bondi and our federal partners will not tolerate any acts of intimidation or violence toward law enforcement. Now justice will handle him.”
White House Presidential Counselor Alina Habba delivers remarks before being sworn in as the interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey in the Oval Office at the White House March 28, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
The FBI had identified Lisa as the suspect a day before his arrest, describing him as about 6-foot-3 and weighing between 200 and 230 pounds with ties to New York City and Mahwah, New Jersey.
The agency warned he “should be considered dangerous” and urged the public to contact authorities with any information about his whereabouts.
