After a judge released a Guatemalan national suspected of burning multiple cars in New York, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stepped in and took him into custody.
Elder Lopez-Avalos, who is in the country illegally, was arrested on charges of fire and arson on May 10 in Nassau County, New York. He is accused of setting fire to 10 cars, including in a parking lot near a children’s center.
The alleged serial arsonist was released by a judge without bail, according to local reports, and then taken into ICE custody.
NASSAU COUNTY, NEW YORK: @ICEgov has ARRESTED Elder Lopez-Avalos, a criminal illegal alien ARSONIST from Guatemala.
Lopez-Avalos set fire to 10 cars in Freeport — and several of the acts of arson took place in a parking lot near a children’s center.
Thanks to cooperation with… pic.twitter.com/HVeSxESGCg
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) May 15, 2026
The Nassau County Police Department cooperated with ICE law enforcement and turned Lopez-Avalos over to the agency on May 12, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Lopez-Avalos illegally entered the United States at an unknown date and location. He will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
“This pyromaniac set fire to 10 cars and was a clear public safety threat,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. “If you come to our country illegally and break our laws, we will arrest you and deport you.”
Eyewitness News 7 reported 27-year-old Lopez-Avalos allegedly set fire to 10 cars in Freeport, New York, including torching multiple cars over the weekend of May 9-10.
According to court documents, Lopez-Avalos targeted cars in a municipal parking lot near a children’s center.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said that it appears Lopez Avalos’ goal was to have the fire spread.
“He will open up a gas cap, take a ripped tee shirt he carried with him, he would stuff it in like a wick, he would let it soak up the gas and set it on fire,” Ryder said. “He would pick an area where there is a group of cars, so it’s almost like he wanted it to happen to the next one.”
The suspect was charged with six counts of arson. However, arson is not a bail eligible crime in Nassau County. The defendant was released on non-monetary conditions, according to Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly.
The case is another example of the failures of cashless bail and soft-on-crime policies in sanctuary states.
“Unfortunately, many New York jurisdictions do NOT cooperate with ICE,” DHS officials said.
During President Donald Trump’s first year in office, from Jan. 20, 2025, to Dec. 1, 2025, New York failed to honor ICE detainers and released 6,947 criminal illegal immigrants back onto the streets, DHS said.
The illegal immigrants were arrested or convicted of violent crimes, including 29 homicides, 2,509 assaults, 199 burglaries, 305 robberies, 392 dangerous drugs offenses, 300 weapons offenses, and 207 sexual predatory offenses.
As of Dec. 1, New York authorities had 7,113 aliens in custody with an active detainer. The crimes of these aliens include 148 homicides, 717 assaults, 134 burglaries, 106 robberies, 235 dangerous drugs offenses, 152 weapons offenses, and 260 sexual predatory offenses.
