Ithaca man faces mischief and false reporting charges

ITHACA, N.Y. (WETM) — An Ithaca man was arrested after police say he damaged property and set off a fire alarm when there was no fire multiple times.

Salim Dridi, 25, was arrested on April 5 after a joint Ithaca Police Department and Cornell University Police Department investigation into multiple incidents that occurred on the 200 block of Dryden Street in Ithaca.

According to the Ithaca Police Department, Dridi threw a brick at an exterior glass door and damaged it at about 7:44 p.m. on March 31. On April 2, the Ithaca Fire Department called the Ithaca Police Department after responding to a false fire alarm at an apartment building for the fourth time within a few days. Dridi allegedly pulled the fire alarm in each of those cases, which disrupted the lives of nearby residents and wasted first responders’ time.

Dridi was charged with third-degree mischief and second-degree falsely reporting an incident. Both of these charges are class E felonies, and each carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison.

After his arrest, Dridi was arraigned in the Ithaca City Court and released on his own recognizance. He will appear back in court on April 10.