Injured player allegedly cuts pickleball nets, faces criminal charges
Police say a Tannersville player cut multiple pickleball nets in Pocono Township after an injury, putting court access and conduct at the center of the case.
Pickleball players in Pocono Township lost more than a few nets when police said a 31-year-old Tannersville man vandalized courts at TLC Park and Mountain View Park after getting hurt in the sport. Saif Kaleem was charged in Monroe County after officers responded on May 15, 2026, to reports of damage at the two parks, turning a local access issue into a criminal case that now carries charges of criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and trespassing.
Police said surveillance video from May 12 showed a man cutting a pickleball net at TLC Park. Another clip from May 14 allegedly showed the same white Hyundai Tucson entering Mountain View Park at 9 p.m., after the park had closed. Investigators said community tips helped identify Kaleem, and during an interview he allegedly admitted he had recently been injured while playing pickleball. Police said he told them he cut the nets because his “summer was ruined.”
According to police, Kaleem confessed to cutting one pickleball net at TLC Park, three pickleball nets at Mountain View Park and the tennis court net at Mountain View Park. That matters because these courts are not just scenery in Pocono Township. Mountain View Park’s three outdoor pickleball courts were built in 2024 after township officials saw lower basketball-court use, and local reporting said the municipality was the first in Monroe County to add outdoor pickleball courts. Pocono Township’s parks page now lists reservations for tennis and pickleball courts, a sign that the facilities have become a real part of how residents book playing time rather than just drop in and hope for the best.
The case lands during a bigger pickleball surge across the country. USA Pickleball said its court-location database added more than 2,300 new locations in 2025, bringing the national total to 18,258 known places to play. The Sports & Fitness Industry Association said about 24.3 million Americans played pickleball in 2025, up from roughly 4.2 million in 2020. That growth has filled public parks with new players and new expectations, but it has also raised the stakes for court etiquette, supervision and quick injury response when frustration spills over into vandalism. In Pocono Township, the immediate issue is simple: when someone cuts the nets, everyone loses court time.
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