PITTSBURGH — A security camera captured a man vandalizing a new development in a Pittsburgh neighborhood.
Around 12:30 a.m. Monday, a man was seen spray painting two sides of the future home of Whole Foods in East Liberty.
PHOTOS: Man caught on camera vandalzing new development in East Liberty
The video shows him dressed in all black. His hood is up over his head and a mask is covering most of his face. He’s then seen pulling out a can of paint and spraying a wave along one side of the building. He also used his fist to shatter a window. On the other side along Penn Avenue, he wrote: “The ghost of Penn Plaza says *expletive Bezos,” referencing Whole Foods, which is now owned by Amazon.
“Vandalism like that is just uncalled for on any means,” said Kelle Gressem with RE/MAX Select Realty.
Kelle Gressem works as a realtor in the area and knows the back story of this property very well.
“My son used to get his hair cut down at Bat’s Barber Shop,” said Gressem. “I remember the high rise being there. So I have seen changes in the community. There are some people that are happy about it and there are other people who are going to resist it.”
The Penn Plaza Apartments used to stand here at the intersection of Penn and South Euclid Avenues. They were torn down in 2017, and a new 250,000 square foot office tower, that’s nearing completion, stands in its place. Some former Penn Plaza residents and other community activists protested the project from the very beginning.
“To deface a property, just because, it’s not going to stop it,” said Gressem. “What it’s going to do is it’s going to cost more money, and it’s going to cause more conflict and bring negative attention to an area that doesn’t necessarily need it. There are so many positive things going on. It would be nice to focus on the positives.”
The developer, LG Realty Advisors, says this won’t impact the timeline. The officer tower, which will house Duolingo’s new headquarters, is scheduled to be complete this month and Whole Foods is still set to open this summer. The new Whole Foods store will replace the current one just down the street on Centre Avenue. It has not been announced what will fill that space next.
LG Realty Advisors says its working with local law enforcement to locate and apprehend the suspect. If you have any information that can help Pittsburgh Police in this investigation, contact them.
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