BUFFALO TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A Pennsylvania man is accused of attempting to destroy his home with an excavator while his wife and children were inside the residence.
According to Pennsylvania online court records, Erik Pierwsza, 48, of Buffalo Township, was charged with causing a catastrophe, which is a felony. He also faces three misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person and one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct.
Police said that Pierswza came home early Tuesday and got into an argument with his wife, WPXI reported.
According to a criminal complaint, Pierswza’s wife said the couple was in the process of separating. She alleged that Pierswza had been drinking the night before.
Man accused of trying to destroy his home with an excavator while his family was inside https://t.co/1weWKvIzUc pic.twitter.com/ViLgcQGqSu
— WPXI (@WPXI) May 27, 2026
According to the criminal complaint, when the woman told Pierswza she was “done,” he allegedly shouted, “If it’s over, I’ll tear the house down.”
Parts of the roof were torn off, and the red excavator was still sitting in the rubble, WPXI reported.
“You never know what people are thinking today,” Buffalo Township police Chief Timothy Derringer told the television station. “It is an unfortunate incident, I will say for all involved and hopefully it is an isolated incident and there are no other incidents in the future.
“His wife and two children were in the home when he started demolishing the home.”
Pierswza’s wife and two children escaped from the home and were not injured, WPXI reported.
“Prior to the officers getting on scene, they were notified that he had fled in a vehicle,” Derringer told the television station. “Officers reached out to him via phone and later in the day, around 1 o’clock, he did turn himself in to our department.”
Pierwsza is scheduled to appear in court on June 9 for a preliminary hearing, online records show.
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