A suspected firebug was taken into custody this morning and questioned about torching 12 mezuzahs since Monday at two Brooklyn apartment buildings – and he appears to have posted a rambling proclamation of innocence on his Facebook page.
Career criminal Ruben Ubiles, 35, who has at least 40 priors, was found naked, hiding under his girlfriend’s bed in her Herkimer Street apartment in Williamsburg by cops, law enforcement sources say.
Around 9 a.m. Ubiles wrote on his Facebook page in capital letters, riddled with punctuation and misspellings, that he was innocent.
“Not wasting my time attempting to destroy what “they” claim I have torched. Im know for fighting, not arson. Arson is a waste of time, especially something not worth going to jail for cause its nonsense.”
He continued:
“When Jews burn wood and garbage on ebery corner, its OK to pollute the surroundings. You mean to tell me Im the only one that is already proven guilty until O prove otherwise. I don’t jate Jews. Ive worked with them for years, so why create an unnecessary problem for me.”
Law enforcement sources say Ubiles lengthy rap sheet ranges from assault, robbery, burglary, drug possession and petit larceny.
His most recent brush with the law occurred in February for domestic assault. During an argument with his girlfriend over $700 he allegedly stole from her, he attacked her with a table, stabbed her in the leg and threatened to kill her. He was also arrested for crack cocaine, a law enforcement source said.
Ubiles was identified using NYPD facial recognition software, video surveillance and witness accounts, sources added.
But late this afternoon cops still had not charged him with a crime.
“He hasn’t given it up yet. They are questioning him. He‘s given no denials, but he’s given some alibis and the detectives are looking into his alibis,” said a law enforcement source, adding that seasoned detectives were being brought in to try and draw out a confession.
Meanwhile, Matthew Morales, 20, an acquaintance, said Ubiles ”worked for Jews doing deliveries.”
“He was a crack head. He’s bugged. He talks to himself, walks around saying there’s demons and stuff. He was probably high when he did it. He used to hang out at the subway at Marcy [Avenue] saying there’s demons following him.”
On Tuesday, the 12th mezuzah, a container which holds Jewish sacred scrolls and is secured to door frames, was torched on the 13th floor of a Clymer Street building, a block from where the 11 other mezuzahs were vandalized.
Abe Friedman, a NYPD community liason said, “The community wants to thank the NYPD for its quick response which put the community at ease.”