Overview
- Police say surveillance video showed a person cutting nets at TLC Park on May 12 and the same vehicle at Mountain View Park on May 14, which led investigators to open the case.
- Officers identified the suspect as 31-year-old Saif Kaleem of Tannersville after a Crimewatch post and tips from community members who had seen him at the parks before the incidents.
- Police say Kaleem admitted to cutting one pickleball net at TLC Park, three pickleball nets and one tennis net at Mountain View Park and told officers his “summer was ruined” after a recent pickleball injury.
- Kaleem was charged with criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and trespassing and no further court dates or details about his injury have been released.
- The incident comes as pickleball’s rapid growth increases demand for public courts, which can raise tensions over access and leave communities facing repairs and temporary closures when vandalism occurs.