BUTLER COUNTY, PA - A man in his forties is facing charges after he allegedly tried to destroy his home with an excavator after his wife said their marriage was over.
Buffalo Township police said they were called to a home along Martin Road on Monday, May 25 after a woman reported that her husband was attempting to tear down their home with a piece of heavy machinery, WTAE reported. The woman told police that she told her husband, since identified as Erik Pierwsza, that she wanted a divorce after he had returned home from a full night of drinking.
That is when he proceeded to allegedly use an excavator to tear down part of the home. Officials said other family members were inside the home at the time of the incident. The damage to the house was so severe that investigators believe it has compromised the entire building's structural integrity, according to the New York Post.
When the wife said their marriage was over, Erik Pierwsza responded by saying, "If it's over, I'll tear the house down." The sound of the excavator tearing through the walls could reportedly be heard during the wife's frantic 911 call.
After the destruction stopped, investigators said Pierwsza went back inside, grabbed a gym bag, and went into town, before being located and taken into custody by police.
Erik Pierwsza has been charged with recklessly endangering another person, creating a catastrophe and disorderly conduct. Court records show his wife planned to seek a protection-from-abuse order following the terrifying incident. Neighbors said they are still struggling to understand how the situation escalated so quickly.
One neighbor joked that he'd "like to know what she said to him because I'll make sure I don't say it." As the incident became public news, many users on X questioned how someone could be arrested for "damaging their own home."
"How does he get arrested for tearing down his own house?" one person commented. Another user said, "Well, no one ever accused him of not following through on his word." Pierwsza is due in court for his preliminary hearing on June 9.
Buffalo Township police said they were called to a home along Martin Road on Monday, May 25 after a woman reported that her husband was attempting to tear down their home with a piece of heavy machinery, WTAE reported. The woman told police that she told her husband, since identified as Erik Pierwsza, that she wanted a divorce after he had returned home from a full night of drinking.
That is when he proceeded to allegedly use an excavator to tear down part of the home. Officials said other family members were inside the home at the time of the incident. The damage to the house was so severe that investigators believe it has compromised the entire building's structural integrity, according to the New York Post.
When the wife said their marriage was over, Erik Pierwsza responded by saying, "If it's over, I'll tear the house down." The sound of the excavator tearing through the walls could reportedly be heard during the wife's frantic 911 call.
After the destruction stopped, investigators said Pierwsza went back inside, grabbed a gym bag, and went into town, before being located and taken into custody by police.
Erik Pierwsza has been charged with recklessly endangering another person, creating a catastrophe and disorderly conduct. Court records show his wife planned to seek a protection-from-abuse order following the terrifying incident. Neighbors said they are still struggling to understand how the situation escalated so quickly.
One neighbor joked that he'd "like to know what she said to him because I'll make sure I don't say it." As the incident became public news, many users on X questioned how someone could be arrested for "damaging their own home."
"How does he get arrested for tearing down his own house?" one person commented. Another user said, "Well, no one ever accused him of not following through on his word." Pierwsza is due in court for his preliminary hearing on June 9.
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