Bronx man suspected of vandalizing local synagogues set free under bail reform law

Jordan Burnette was arrested over the weekend and is facing 42 hate crime charges stemming from an 11-day string of vandalism on houses of worship in Riverdale.

News 12 Staff

May 3, 2021, 5:23 PM

Updated 1,316 days ago

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A Bronx man accused of vandalizing at least four synagogues was set free Sunday under the state's bail reform law.
Jordan Burnette was arrested over the weekend and is facing 42 hate crime charges stemming from an 11-day string of vandalism on houses of worship in Riverdale.
Police believe the 29-year-old is responsible for vandalizing several synagogues in Riverdale since April 21.
He was arrested on Saturday but is no longer behind bars.
A spokesperson from the Bronx District Attorney's Office says prosecutors asked for supervised release, but a Bronx judge set Burnette's bail at $20,000. However, that was later changed by another judge after the defendant's lawyer pushed for a supervised release.
A spokesperson for the DA's office says Burnette is not eligible for bail to be set under the state bail reform law.
He is now under supervised monitoring.
Some in the Bronx community are in disbelief that Burnette is not behind bars.
The Riverdale Temple was not one of the four that was vandalized, but Rabbi Thomas Gardener says many are not happy with Burnette being under supervised release.
He warns that one should never take antisemitism lightly because small incidents lead to larger incidents of hate. However, he adds that one should take into perspective that there was strong support for the Jewish community in the wake of the vandalism.
Burnette is scheduled for a court hearing May 7.