A judge ordered Harrisburg city official to stop demolition of a church that partially collapsed last month.
The attorney for its owner, Bishop A.E. Sullivan, Jr., filed the injunction in Dauphin County Court Friday when demolition started, and it was granted Monday.
The church partially collapsed on February 21. Debris fell onto a neighbor’s property. That neighbor says bricks have continued to come down on her yard and home.
It’s too dangerous for the family to stay at the home, so the city gave them a place to stay until the church was demolished.
Now the homeowner, Middalia Velez, is angry about the injunction and says Bishop Sullivan is ignoring its effect on her family and home. She says the collapse disrupted her life, forcing her to move between homes and take her children out of their schools.
“He’s a minister, and he has to be the example for everybody,” Velez says. “Think for one hour, how I feel, how uncomfortable I am right now.”
The church was condemned in 2009. Sullivan was arrested on Feb. 21 and is facing charges for allowing it to collapse. He says he will not comment on the case outside of court.