Police officials are reporting the arrest of Mr. Luis Serrano, 52, of Newark, for committing an auto burglary only hours after being released for a previous auto burglary under bail reform.
Police arrested Serrano at 3:20 p.m., on Saturday, September 9th in connection with an auto burglary that occurred on September 7th.
Authorities released him and issued a summons under bail reform for this crime at 8:55 p.m. that same day.
Police said he was again arrested yesterday for an auto burglary that occurred on Sunday, September 10th, at 52 Van Buren Street, only hours after he was released the previous day.
Serrano has an extensive criminal record dating back to 1990, including 15 arrests and 10 felony convictions on multiple charges of Burglary, as well as Aggravated Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer, Theft, Terroristic Threats, Larceny, CDS Distribution and Resisting Arrest.
“Sadly, we are seeing this result over and over,” Director Ambrose said. “We arrest repeat criminals and bail reform releases them to commit more crimes against our residents and visitors. This is a clear example where property crime needs to be re-evaluated as part of the Public Safety Assessment, which used to determine whether suspects will be released. I implore the state’s Chief Justice to re-examine the criteria and to close the revolving door that needlessly drives up crime and creates more crime victims, especially in cases in where the suspect is a known and habitual criminal.”