New York Man, With Nearly 80 Arrests, Busted and Set Free Twice For Arson

A man, who police say has been arrested nearly 80 times dating back to 1982, made it two more this week alone. And yet here here he is a free man. Police say the 66-year-old set fire to a trash can Monday night at the corner of West 31st Street and Eighth Avenue. And while he was quickly apprehended by authorities, he was soon out of jail. The New York Post says the same public nuisance was right back at it Tuesday morning, when he set fire to another trash can. And soon after, he was out again, says police.

New York Man Has Been Arrested Almost 80 Times

The Post says that this same serial arsonist has at least 78 priors arrests going back to the early 1980s. In December 2021, he had 10 misdemeanor cases dismissed after he was found unfit to stand trial, according to a DA’s office spokeswoman. A criminal complaint says that he set 15 trash cans on fire, in separate arson spree, back in 2012 in a number of Midtown locations. Records say he was sentenced to seven months in jail, but served five.

New York Lawmakers Push Back Against Bail Reform

The 2019 Bail Reform has proven to be a controversial subject, as its opponents say it allows repeat offenders to be released only to commit the same crimes again. The new reform went into effect in January 2020, and largely did away with cash bail for many misdemeanor and nonviolent felony charges.

In April 2020, then-Governor. Andrew Cuomo amended the law, that allowed judges to set bail for more crimes. In 2022, more state lawmakers have mounted pressure for a budget deal that would further allow judges to not only set bail for more crimes, but to hold repeat offenders pending trial.

New York Serial Suspect Brags That He'll Be a Free Man

In the fall of 2021, a New York man was arrested three times in just 36 hours, though he boasted to police that he'd be out of jail and that he, "didn't have a record". The Post says that the suspect's crime spree began the evening of November 21, when he allegedly stole a 12-pack of Coors Light from a local bodega. According to sources, he was soon released with just a ticket. Not much time later, the very same suspect allegedly stole a woman's purse by knifepoint on the subway, according to FOX. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office told Fox that while prosecutors wanted cash bail, a judge let him go on supervised release. But by the next morning, police say he was back at it again, as he went and stole an iPhone from another woman on the subway.

The Post says he was finally sent to Bellevue Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.