Police Say They've Caught The Notorious Red Line Cell Phone Jammer

By Mae Rice in News on Mar 9, 2016 3:40PM

Dennis Nicholl, 63 (photo courtesy of the Chicago Police Department)

Police charged a man Tuesday morning with using a signal-jamming device to disrupt cell phone service on the Red Line.

Dennis Nicholl, 63—whom Reddit has already christened with the prison nickname “Red Line Jammer”—was arrested at the Granville Red Line stop on Tuesday morning for using his signal-jamming device in front of undercover officers.

The arrest came after a slew of complaints about cell phone service on the Red Line, and a Reddit post showing Nicholl in action from Redditor don'ttelltheboss.

An anonymous 911 call tipped the police off to Nicholl as the suspect.

Nicholl has been charged with a felony count of unlawful interference with a public utility. He will appear in bond court Wednesday.

He was tracked down by a joint operation conducted by the CPD, the CTA, and the FCC.