As time ticks for Century III Mall, 7 alleged trespassers tried to catch a last look

Seven people who said they’d hoped to catch a last glimpse of Century III Mall, the dilapidated West Mifflin staple-turned-health hazard, face criminal trespassing charges after they were caught prying their way into the condemned building Tuesday evening.

The long-abandoned shopping mall is living on borrowed time, and a judge last week ordered the troubled ownership company to show some sort of evidence that demolition is imminent within the next 30 days.

The mall’s numbered days prompted the seven alleged trespassers, who range in age from 18 to 25, to try to get a glimpse inside.

West Mifflin officers were sent to the mall around 5:40 p.m. after a 911 caller reported six to eight people headed toward the property. The caller said the group appeared to have parked their car, a white Subaru, outside the former DSW shoe store, according to the criminal complaint.

Police arrived and found a board used to shutter the former Old Mexico restaurant had been pried away and a mall security guard went inside to search for the group, according to the complaint.

Shortly after he did, four people emerged from the hole they’d pried open: Marie Mason, 21, Austin Seik, 25, Lucas Gonzalez, 21, and Caden Desimone, 18.

Police asked if there was anyone else in the mall, according to the complaint. When the group said yes, officers asked Mr. Seik to call them and tell them to come out. They were also taken into custody: Nathaniel Riley, 19, Jared Chambers, 23, and Noah Joseph, 22.

The group told officers they’d heard the mall would be demolished soon and they’d come to document and take photos of the property, according to the complaint. All of the teens and young adults are from the South Hills or surrounding area.

All were taken to the Allegheny County Jail and then released on their own recognizance. They are charged with one count each of criminal mischief, a summary offense, and criminal trespass, a felony. Preliminary hearings are scheduled for later this month.

The mall has been a thorn in the side of West Mifflin officials for years, and the incident Tuesday adds to a long list of break-ins at the mall since its interior was shuttered in 2019.

The count as of late January was around 117, according to West Mifflin police. Fire crews have responded to at least 18 incidents there since 2018, including one last year where fire tore through the mall’s top floor.

That blaze prompted inspectors to warn that the storied mall was unsafe and on the verge of collapse, though it had been deemed a fire hazard years earlier.

A few months later, a teenage trespasser fell 20 feet through the roof, suffering a broken back and punctured lung. It took first responders 20 minutes to find the teen and another 20 minutes to extricate him.

Moonbeam Capital, the mall’s owner for the past decade, has been hit again and again with citations and fines as it has left the property to rot. Condemnation discussions began in May and West Mifflin council voted in July to condemn the massive building, all while ban explorers continued to find ways to get inside.

More fines followed, along with Moonbeam’s appeals of the condemnation. District Attorney Stephen A. Zappla Jr. filed criminal nuisance charges against Moonbeam in January, and a judge signed a restraining order against the owners a day later.

Now, Moonbeam has 30 days to show some type of progress toward ultimately razing the 1.1 millionsquare-foot building.

Moonbeam attorney Steven Townsend said a contract has already been signed to begin the demolition process, which he called the “biggest demolition contract in Western Pennsylvania,” although he did not disclose the amount.

“We’re abating the nuisance now but it doesn’t happen overnight,” Mr. Townsend said.