A Manhattan protester has admitted to firing a flare that landed on the roof of City College's Marshak Science Building, pleading guilty last Thursday to fourth-degree arson and disorderly conduct after an anti-Israel demonstration scorched campus property.
Plea deal and penalties
According to the New York Post, the defendant, identified as Ahmed Etman, entered guilty pleas to fourth-degree arson and disorderly conduct. Prosecutors said Etman will pay about $6,291 in restitution and complete 100 hours of community service.
Under the deal described by prosecutors, Etman could later be allowed to withdraw the felony arson plea and receive a conditional discharge on the misdemeanor count, as long as he is not arrested again within a year. In other words, one more clean year could mean walking away without a felony on his record.
How investigators say the blaze started
CUNY has said encampments on the south campus escalated into dangerous behavior, with university officials noting that a flare gun sparked a rooftop fire at Marshak during the demonstrations. City College's 2025 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report also lists a Marshak fire tied to an encampment and records substantial damage in its fire summary (CCNY Clery report, 2025).
Investigation and charges
Fire marshals with FDNY recovered remnants of the flare on the Marshak roof, and investigators linked that material to the rooftop blaze, according to the criminal complaint reported by the New York Post. The outlet reports Etman was arrested in July 2025 and that prosecutors initially brought additional counts, including criminal mischief and reckless endangerment, before striking the plea deal that wrapped the case.
Campus reaction and what comes next
College leaders have publicly stressed campus safety and said the individual at the center of the case is no longer enrolled, according to university statements. With Etman due back in court on Oct. 15, 2026, prosecutors and campus officials say the plea provides legal closure for now, even as the Marshak rooftop fire remains a talking point in ongoing, often heated debates over how far campus protests can go before they cross the legal line.
