A quiet afternoon at St. Boniface Roman Catholic Church on Pittsburgh’s North Side turned into a police call on Thursday, after a cleaner spotted broken glass at the building's entrance and discovered someone was inside. Officers searched the church, brought in a K9, and eventually found a man sitting on a couch in a hallway before taking him into custody.
Officers Sweep Spring Hill Church, K9 Tracks Down Suspect
Police were called to St. Boniface along East Street in the Spring Hill–City View neighborhood just before 3 p.m., according to CBS Pittsburgh. A cleaner told officers the main entrance was open, and there was broken glass. A K9 handler later found a man on a couch inside the building, and police identified him as Ahmet Zaimoglu of Arnold. He was booked on burglary, trespassing, and vandalism charges.
Monsignor: ‘He Just Walked In’ And Made Himself At Home
Monsignor Larry DiNardo told CBS Pittsburgh, “He parked his car right next door to the church here and just walked in.” DiNardo said police told him the intruder knocked down doors, helped himself to a bottle of water, and turned on the television in the priest’s living room, details that parish leaders said left the small congregation shaken.
Small Parish, Big Scare
St. Boniface is part of Christ Our Savior Parish on Pittsburgh’s North Side, the parish website notes, and remains an active, small neighborhood church. Parish staff said they are grateful the cleaner checked the building when they did and that no one was harmed during the incident.
Case Heads To County Level
Police say Zaimoglu was taken to the county lockup and booked; any upcoming court dates and prosecution decisions will be handled at the county level. Allegheny County operates the downtown detention center, where arrested suspects are typically processed, according to the Allegheny County Jail.
