A 66-year-old Brighton man was arraigned Tuesday morning on a charge of willful and malicious destruction of property for allegedly damaging trees, prosecutors said.

Joe Rizza was released after his appearance in Brighton District Court, according to Renee Nadeau Algarin, a spokeswoman for the Suffolk district attorney’s office. He must return to court Jan. 13, submit to GPS monitoring. and observe a curfew, Algarin said.

Detectives watched Rizza enter private property on Peaceable Street in Brighton and snap a branch off a tree, police said. They had placed Peaceable Street, Winship Street, and Academy Hill Road under surveillance after receiving several complaints of tree damage, Boston police said.

Rizza was already out on bail for a tree damage case from April that is still pending in court. In that incident, he was charged with five counts of willful and malicious destruction of property and one count of possession of a dangerous weapon.

The upcoming hearing will be about charges in both cases against Rizza, Algarin said. Police noted that Rizza has been dubbed by some the Brighton “Tree Ninja.’’

Mina Corpuz can be reached at mina.corpuz@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @mlcorpuz.