PITTSTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A Pennsylvania man upset over a neighbor's tree took matters into his own hands, but his plan landed him in jail and resulted in his apartment building being condemned.
Officials closed the building on Oak Street in Pittston Township after Raymond Mazzarella used a chainsaw to cut through the 36-inch-wide trunk of the pine tree, which fell onto the building.
Police said Mazzarella was upset because the tree’s branches above his parking space would drip sap onto his car.
“He decided it was the best thing to do to get rid of the tree. Where he thought it was gonna go, I have no idea. It's gonna be a long time before somebody gets back in here,” Pittston Township Code Enforcement Officer Terry Best said.
Five other tenants of the building have to find a new place to live because its foundation shifted. The Red Cross is helping them.
After the building was condemned, Mazzarella got into an altercation with a neighbor, who he went after with a baseball bat, police said.
Mazzarella is charged with assault and harassment.
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