New Jersey Man Charged with Possession of a Dangerous Weapon in Federal Building in Downtown Newark

NEWARK, NJ. –  The U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged a New Jersey man with possessing a dangerous weapon and depredation of federal property during an incident that occurred last week, Acting United States Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Keith Michael Lisa, 51, of Barnegat, NJ, was arrested and charged by complaint with one count of possession of a dangerous weapon in a federal facility and one count of depredation of federal property.  Lisa appeared on Monday, November 17, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge José R. Almonte in Newark federal court and was detained.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Lisa entered the Peter Rodino Federal Building in Newark, shortly before 5:00pm, on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, with a full-sized, aluminum baseball bat.  Lisa said he needed to see the Attorney General’s Office and security informed Lisa that the bat was a prohibited weapon that he could not bring into the building.  Lisa left and returned a few minutes later without the weapon. He was visibly irate and mumbling as he went through security. Lisa continued to the reception area of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where witnesses saw that he was angry and making threats about tearing the place up. Lisa damaged federal property by knocking framed items off the walls. After learning law enforcement was looking for him, rather than turn himself in, Lisa went into hiding, requiring a coordinated, state-wide effort by federal, state, and local law enforcement to locate and arrest him in the early morning hours of November 15.

Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy; the U.S. Marshals Service, under the direction of Marshal Juan Mattos, Jr., Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy; Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel; Federal Protective Service, under the direction of Director Faron K. Paramore; New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Colonel Patrick J. Callahan; Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Michael G. Mastronardy, and local Mahwah Police Department and Barnegat Police Department, with the investigation leading to the apprehension.

The government is represented by Ari B. Fontecchio and Lauren Kober, both Assistant United States Attorneys in Newark’s Criminal Division.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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Defense counsel: Assistant Federal Defender Candace Hom, Esq.