Call about homeless people tunneling into Pittsburgh apartment building's basement leaves residents on edge

An abandoned building next to a large residential complex in Pittsburgh's Troy Hill neighborhood is leaving residents concerned about security due to a possible "tunnel." 

The city told KDKA it's planning to take action against the vacant structure's owner after dispatchers reported a complaint from the Heinz Lofts' management office on Thursday morning. 

"They're saying that they found evidence that the homeless people have tunneled into their building through the basement of an abandoned building next door," dispatchers said. "The abandoned building hasn't been cleared, unknown if anybody's inside or in the tunnels. They said with the tunneling there's also extension cords."

Pittsburgh police told KDKA they got called to respond around 11:30 a.m. for a possible criminal trespass/forcible entry into the Heinz maintenance room that someone had accessed by picking up a boiler grate and reaching it underground, appearing to run electricity from that room to the abandoned building.

Sarah Scruppi has lived at Heinz Lofts off River Avenue for nearly seven years, and until this year, she hasn't had a problem with the vacant structure covered in graffiti next door.

"A lot of kids will go in and out, like graffitiers and like homeless people," Scruppi said.

During the summer, she said they heard people banging on pipes and sounds of explosions or fireworks coming from the building that's right up against one of the structures at Heinz, and the word has spread.

"I don't know if they were like vandalizing it or trying to steal stuff," said Clay Bovalina, who has lived at Heinz Lofts for about three months. "I don't know their intentions."

Off camera, a worker in the area told KDKA he saw men stealing copper wire from electrical panels inside a week or two ago.

It's left some living at the lofts feeling unsettled.

"That's pretty concerning," Bovalina said. "Hopefully, they're able to figure out how they're doing that and kind of put an end to that."

"We don't want to be in an apartment complex that is unsafe or not fully on lockdown, especially in the evenings," Scruppi said.

KDKA reached out to the city regarding the situation at the building. A spokesperson said the structure is privately owned, but the Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections condemned it in August, and because of this, no one is allowed in the building. 

The spokesperson added that they notified and contacted the owner, saying, "To date, the owner has not secured the building, so it has received its third and final violation notice. The City is filing a criminal complaint against the owner with the magistrate."

Police told KDKA the Lofts declined to press charges. The property manager told KDKA they have no comment.