PITTSBURGH — For property owner Yang Zang, 5335 Penn Avenue in Garfield is a labor of love. The mixed-use building is in the process of being renovated, with hopes for two new restaurants, retail space, and apartments upstairs.
“I purchased the building last year, around may, with the goal to revitalize the neighborhood,” Zang said. “We started the construction early this year in January.”
But Tuesday morning, Zang and the Garfield community faced an unexpected blow. Thousands of dollars of equipment and tools, being stored inside of the building, went missing overnight.
“Everybody is trying to build up the neighborhood, to have something like that happen…it hurts. It hurts,” said Kevin Fisher, who owns several properties in Garfield.
A neighbor provided Zang and Pittsburgh Police with surveillance video, which shows several people, between the hours of 4:30 and 6 a.m., pushing dollies down Penn Avenue. Zang said the contents are his - $20,000 worth of A/C units and tools.
“It’s very frustrating. Doing development is already hard, especially when we are so close to the finish line, and adding this particular thing is just causing more delays,” Zang said.
Zang told Channel 11 this is a huge setback, as he and other community members work to revitalize the area.
“For all the hard work we’ve put into this project, within an hour, you can ruin almost everything, so it’s very heartbreaking,” Zang said.
“I hope they catch these guys, and most importantly, I hope Yang gets his materials back,” Fisher said.
A spokesperson for Pittsburgh Police confirmed to Channel 11 that the investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the police.
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