DA files felony charge against Mon View Heights owner

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. has charged the owners of the Mon View Heights subsidized housing complex in West Mifflin with a felony amid allegations of failing water systems, rodent and insect infestations, mold growth and a child falling through the floor.

The felony count of causing or risking a catastrophe marks an escalation of Zappala’s ongoing battle with Mon View LLC, the owner of the troubled complex. Last month, the district attorney charged Mon View LLC with a lower-level misdemeanor count of making a public nuisance and a summary offense involving sewage violations.

“This is another piece of the larger ongoing issue,” Zappala said in a statement Monday. “We will continue to address these major issues as they arise with the priority of residents’ health and safety in mind.”

The criminal complaint alleged a litany of problems at the site, ranging from potholes in the street and boarded windows to unpaid bills to vendors and open sewage spilling onto the street.

On Oct. 11, the West Mifflin Police Department responded to the complex after a 3-year-old girl reportedly fell through a kitchen floor at one of the apartments.

The girl’s mother told a police officer that she and her daughter were in the kitchen when the floor collapsed under the girl’s feet, causing one of her legs to fall through, according to a criminal complaint. Police reported a 2-foot-long hole that might have been caused by rotting wood, the complaint said.

On Oct. 10, all five fire hydrants in the complex failed an inspection, according to the DA’s office. Officials determined that the water system didn’t have adequate water pressure to put out a fire.

The district attorney two days later authorized a third-party plumber to fix the failing fire hydrant system.

Authorities said the fire hydrant near the entrance to the complex has been out of service for over a year.

Children living in the apartment complex play in the area near the open sewage, according to the complaint.

Inspections of the property have revealed a number of serious problems, officials alleged in the complaint, including mold growth, gnat infestations, units without running water and broken showers.

One apartment was deemed “completely unlivable,” as it was full of junk, mold and bugs, and the ceiling had collapsed.

West Mifflin police have responded to 502 calls in the Mon View Heights housing complex from March 24 through September 24, officials said in the complaint. Calls included domestic disputes, shots fired, suspicious activity, child abuse, burglary and assaults.

There were at least 62 arrests or warrants issued during that time frame.

Mon View Apts. LLC purchased the 326-unit property in December 2022 for $17 million, according to Allegheny County property records.

Most of the units failed an inspection over the summer. The property was fined $180,000 earlier this year for fire hydrant and occupancy violations.

The county’ health department has 13 open cases and five judgments against Mon View Heights in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, according to Zappala’s office.

No one could be reached in the apartment complex’s management office.

Related:

• DA's office charges Mon View Apartments owner with creating public nuisance

• 'It's just wrong': Zappala tours problematic West Mifflin housing complex