Background: The home on Martin Road in Buffalo Township, Pennsylvania, where the incident occurred (WPXI/YouTube). Inset: Erik Pierwsza (WPXI/YouTube).
A Pennsylvania man is accused of using an excavator to tear through his house while his family was inside following an argument with his wife when he came home after a night of drinking.
Erik Pierwsza, 48, has been charged with causing catastrophe, three counts of recklessly endangering another person, and disorderly conduct, per court records reviewed by Law&Crime. He was held at the Butler County Prison.
On Monday morning, Pierwsza returned to his home on Martin Road in Buffalo Township, Pennsylvania, an area about 25 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. According to his wife, he had been drinking all night, and an argument broke out between them.
The couple was in the process of separating, area NBC affiliate WPXI reported, and the woman told Pierwsza she was "done" and wanted a divorce. He is said to have responded in a raised voice, "If it's over, I'll tear the house down."
Pierwsza apparently tried to follow through on that promise. He reportedly got into an excavator on the property and began demolishing the house. Drone footage taken by the TV station showed segments of the roof torn off and the construction vehicle still parked around the rubble.
The defendant's family members were inside the home at the time of the incident, according to local ABC affiliate WTAE.
Police were called to the home, and they say Pierwsza drove away in a vehicle. He later turned himself in to Buffalo Township police.
Pierwsza reportedly owns a landscaping business. He was jailed on a $10,000 bond, but police said he has been released after posting it.
He was arraigned on Tuesday and is due to reappear in court for a preliminary hearing on June 9.
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