Police investigated access to a Heinz Lofts maintenance area as city officials moved against the owner of a condemned neighboring building.
PITTSBURGH, PA — Residents of the Heinz Lofts are raising security concerns after police investigated reports that someone entered an underground maintenance area from a neighboring abandoned building, an incident described by a 911 dispatcher as possible “tunneling.”
Pittsburgh police were called to the residential complex around 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, after a report of possible criminal trespass or forcible entry. Police told KDKA-TV that someone apparently lifted a boiler grate and gained underground access to a Heinz Lofts maintenance room. Investigators also found what appeared to be an effort to run electricity from the maintenance area toward the vacant building next door. No arrests or criminal charges related to the entry were reported.
A dispatcher relaying the original complaint said Heinz Lofts management had reported evidence that homeless people had tunneled into the building through the basement of the abandoned property. Police accounts released afterward were more cautious, referring only to a person or persons who had entered the area. Authorities had not publicly confirmed who was responsible or whether a newly dug tunnel actually existed. WPXI-TV reported that Pittsburgh Public Safety officials said the apparent goal was to obtain electricity.
The neighboring structure has already drawn attention from city inspectors. A Pittsburgh spokesperson told KDKA that the privately owned building was condemned by the Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections in August, meaning people are not permitted to occupy it. The city said the owner had been contacted and ordered to secure the property but had not done so after receiving three violation notices. The city is now filing a criminal complaint against the property owner with a magistrate, the spokesperson said. The owner’s name was not released in the reports reviewed.
Residents said activity around the vacant building had become increasingly noticeable. Sarah Scruppi, who told KDKA she has lived at the Heinz Lofts for nearly seven years, said she had not experienced significant problems with the neighboring property until this year. She said people, including graffiti writers and people believed to be homeless, had been seen entering and leaving the building. During the summer, she said residents also heard banging on pipes and sounds that resembled fireworks or explosions coming from the property.
Other tenants told local news outlets that the underground access raised questions about how easily someone could reach areas connected to their apartment complex. Heinz Lofts resident Maura Milligan told WPXI that unauthorized entry into the abandoned structure had been a recurring problem and said she wanted stronger security measures after learning about the underground access. Resident Payton Wilkerson also questioned how someone could apparently reach the area by lifting a grate.
Clay Bovalina, who told KDKA he had lived at Heinz Lofts for about three months, said he did not know what people entering the vacant building intended to do. A worker in the area separately told the station that he had seen men taking copper wire from electrical panels inside the abandoned structure within the previous two weeks. That account was not independently confirmed by police, and authorities did not publicly connect any reported copper theft to Thursday’s incident.
The Heinz Lofts are part of Pittsburgh’s historic former H.J. Heinz industrial complex near the Allegheny River. Portions of the former factory property were converted into apartments in the early 2000s. The larger historic complex includes buildings dating to the early 20th century, making the vacant neighboring property part of an area where old industrial structures sit close to newer residential uses.
Police said Heinz Lofts management declined to pursue charges over Thursday’s incident. KDKA reported that the property manager declined to comment, while WPXI said management characterized the issue as overblown. The city, however, is continuing its enforcement action against the owner of the condemned building. Authorities had not announced an arrest, identified anyone responsible for the underground entry or confirmed that anyone remained inside the vacant structure as of the latest reports.
Author note: Last updated November 14, 2026.