Judge orders man accused of vandalizing Albuquerque Jewish sites released

A Bernalillo County judge on Thursday ordered Rex Crofton released from custody while he awaits trial over the vandalism of Congregation Albert and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque, after prosecutors sought to keep the 25-year-old jailed. Under New Mexico’s pretrial detention rule, a felony defendant can be held only if prosecutors prove by clear and convincing evidence that no release conditions would reasonably protect the community, so the release order shows the court was not persuaded detention was the only safe option.

Federal court documents say the first attack came about 4:31 p.m. on June 2, when Crofton arrived in a silver sedan at Congregation Albert on Louisiana Boulevard NE, shattered the synagogue’s glass entry doors with a tool and fled after making an indecipherable statement. Roughly eight minutes later, surveillance footage showed him at the Jewish Community Center on Wyoming Boulevard NE striking its front doors with a metal tool, before a security guard pepper-sprayed him and he sped away. Witnesses initially thought the sound of the broken glass at the synagogue was gunfire, which intensified the fear around both scenes.

State court records say Crofton was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on Wednesday and charged with desecration of a church and two counts of criminal damage to property over $1,000. Federal prosecutors announced on June 12 that he also faced a federal hate crime charge tied to the same attacks. On Thursday, an Albuquerque police officer separately petitioned for an Extreme Risk Firearm Protection Order to remove rifles and handguns from Crofton’s home.

The attacks hit one of Albuquerque’s oldest institutions. Congregation Albert says it was founded on Sept. 26, 1897, formally incorporated on April 7, 1902, and is the oldest continuous Jewish organization in New Mexico, as well as the first synagogue in Albuquerque. The synagogue also says its Security Committee works with local and federal agencies, including APD, the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Department of Homeland Security, to protect congregants.

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque describes itself as a hub for Jewish life, with programs that include fitness, childcare, camps, arts and education. It is also raising money through Mission Possible, a $4.5 million multi-phased development program. Leaders at both institutions have kept worship and events moving while cleaning up the damage, but the episode has deepened concern about antisemitic threats, security costs and the strain placed on places that serve as both gathering spaces and community anchors.