Residents urge Bridgeville council to secure problem properties after repeated police responses

Residents pressed the Bridgeville Borough Council on ongoing safety and nuisance concerns linked to nearby rental properties, saying repeated police responses and at least two apparent deaths have left neighbors afraid to use their homes.

At the council meeting, a resident speaking during public comment said a neighboring house had no utilities, had produced multiple police calls and that “there have been at least one and almost ... two lifeless bodies being taken out of the house,” and asked how many first-responder visits must occur before officials act. The commenter said neighbors see drug activity and asked the council and police to take stronger steps to secure the properties.

Robert (Bob) of P Avenue told the council the situation has continued for years and said one property showed a condemned sign two years earlier but was later reoccupied. “The property should be minimally condemned and boarded up,” he said, calling the ongoing conditions “unacceptable” and urging council action to protect families he said are afraid to come to his house.

Council members acknowledged the difficulty of removing occupants in noncriminal incidents and said some actions require property-owner cooperation, foreclosure proceedings or legal steps beyond immediate local authority. The police chief indicated officers had been assigned to investigate recent complaints and asked residents to speak privately after the meeting with officers to provide details.

Borough staff/officials said they would explore code-enforcement and property-management options and that Public Safety and committee members would meet before the next council meeting to consider additional steps.

The public-comment exchange ended with residents urging faster action and officials saying staff and law enforcement would continue follow-up. The council took no formal vote related to the properties at the meeting.