Steelers' Hotel Fire Alarm Sounds Ahead of AFC Championship Game vs. Patriots

A fire alarm went off at 3 a.m. ET Sunday in the Pittsburgh Steelers' hotel ahead of the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots, according to Bob Labriola of Steelers.com.

Ian Smith of KDKA in Pittsburgh shared images of the incident:

ESPN's Sal Paolantonio reported Sunday morning that Massachusetts State Police apprehended a man suspected of pulling the alarm and charged him with disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace and pulling a false alarm (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk).

"The false alarm was apparently planned out in advance by Patriots fans wanting to disturb the Steelers: Paolantonio reports that the man pulled the alarm, ran out of the hotel and jumped into a waiting car, fleeing the scene," Smith wrote. "But police were nonetheless able to catch up to them."

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport provided the press release from Massachusetts State Police:

"I'm drunk, I'm stupid, I'm a Pats fan," Dennis Harrison told police after his arrest, per Chris Villani of the Boston Herald on Monday. ESPN.com reported Harrison pleaded not guilty Monday and noted he "was released on personal recognizance at his arraignment Monday on charges including disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace."

The act of pulling a fire alarm at a hotel to disrupt a team has become something of a trend. In January 2015, a fire alarm was pulled on two separate occasions at the hotel the Patriots were staying in before their Super Bowl matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.

In October of that year, the Carolina Panthers awoke to the sound of a fire alarm in their hotel in Seattle before a game against the Seahawks. And in September 2014, the fire alarm went off in the hotel the Philadelphia Eagles were staying in before a game against the San Francisco 49ers.

The Steelers lost to the Patriots 36-17 on Sunday.

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