Top Alle-Kiski Valley news stories for 2023 marked by tragedy, deaths

Tragedy struck in Brackenridge just two days into the new year, setting a tone for more somber and heartbreaking news that eventually followed in the Alle-Kiski Valley.

The year also had tense moments, from a messy implosion in Springdale to multiple sightings of alligators in — of all places — the Kiski River.

TribLive was there to document it all. Here are some of the top local news stories from 2023.

Death of Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire

Just two days into the new year, the post-holidays calm was shattered when Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire, 46, was slain by a man police had sought for two days.

Aaron Lamont Swan Jr., 28, of Duquesne fled from a state police traffic stop along Route 28 on New Year’s Day. He was a convicted felon, wanted on a warrant for parole violations related to possession of weapons.

During a footchase, police say, Swan ambushed McIntire, fatally shooting him. The pursuit continued, with Swan exchanging gunfire with police and shooting Tarentum Officer Jordan Schrecengost in the leg. Swan then stole a car and fled toward Pittsburgh.

He was stopped by police and ran through a wooded area in Pittsburgh’s Homewood-Brushton section, where he exchanged gunfire with Pittsburgh police. He was shot multiple times and died.

The weeks and months that followed saw an outpouring of grief and support — for McIntire’s wife and four children and the police community in general.

Thousands attended McIntire’s funeral at Mount St. Peter Church in New Kensington. Police from across the state — even across the country — sent representatives.

By Aug. 1, the Brackenridge police department of three officers had disbanded and was absorbed by the Tarentum police department, which now provides coverage for the neighboring borough.

Heather Pressdee

Nurse Heather Pressdee’s co-workers had suspected her of harming patients. Little did they know Pressdee would be accused in at least 17 deaths, as authorities say she injected nursing home patients with overdoses of insulin that led to coma and death.

In May, the state Attorney General’s Office charged Pressdee with the deaths of two patients in a Chicora, Butler County, nursing facility.

At the time, it was known Pressdee, of Harrison, had worked in about a dozen other such facilities since 2018. At each facility, she had been fired or resigned after being accused of abusing patients or fellow staff members.

In November, the Attorney General’s Office announced more charges against Pressdee, linking her to 15 more deaths they say she confessed to causing.

Investigators said Pressdee told them she felt she was helping her victims because they had a low quality of life. But text messages and social media posts from Pressdee, uncovered by investigators, showed Pressdee expressed frustration and even rage at patients and co-workers, authorities said.

Pressdee’s lawyers said she is cooperating with authorities and has expressed remorse for her actions. Their defense is aimed at keeping Pressdee off death row.

She remains in the Butler County jail without bond, awaiting trial. At least two lawsuits have been filed, claiming negligence on the part of a Lower Burrell nursing home for not conducting better background checks on Pressdee before hiring her.

Rustic Ridge explosion

Aug. 12 was a picture-perfect Saturday morning in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood when, just before 10:30 a.m., the quiet subdivision was shaken by a massive explosion.

A home at 141 Rustic Ridge Drive was obliterated. Homes on either side of it were in flames. Other homes had doors, windows — even walls — blown in by the blast, which was felt miles away.

Neighbors, some of whom had been thrown from where they were sitting in their homes, emerged to witness the devastation.

A frantic search for survivors ensued. Paul Oravitz was discovered amid the rubble and was pulled to safety. He died days later.

Five others who were in the home when it exploded died that day. The victims were identified as Kevin Sebunia, 55; Oravitz, 56, and his wife, Heather, 51; Mike Thomas, 57; and Casey Clontz, 38, and his son, Keegan, 12.

About a dozen other homes were destroyed or heavily damaged.

Authorities have not announced a cause for the explosion, but the Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office confirmed it was investigating the possibility that complications with a hot water tank contributed to the blast.

Authorities said the investigation could take months or years but offered that there was nothing to link previous house explosions in Plum over the years to this latest blast.

An outpouring of support — financially and emotionally — for families affected by the explosion continues. As does the cleanup.

The neighborhood is abuzz with contractors repairing homes. At least one other has been razed to make way for a rebuilt home there. Other homes remain empty with residents still uncertain whether they ever will return.

Springdale power plant implosion

The former Cheswick Generating Station power plant had been mothballed since April 2022. It was the last coal-fired power plant in Allegheny County, and its iconic smokestacks towered over the local skyline, visible from miles away.

Charah Solutions, based in Louisville, Ky., bought the shuttered plant from then-owner GenOn Holdings. Charah’s plan was to remediate the site and make it suitable for reuse as an industrial site.

Springdale and the surrounding area was buzzing in June because Charah had announced plans to implode the smokestacks, one of which reached more than 700 feet into the sky. On June 2, the stacks were scheduled to come down, and onlookers took up vantage points outside a safety zone set up around the plant property.

Shortly after 8 a.m., a siren wailed, explosive charges detonated, and the smokestacks came crashing down with a giant thud and plume of dust.

And that’s when the problems started.

Although demolition officials said the implosion went as planned, a tremendous rush of air blew from the tallest stack as it hit the ground. The air blast knocked down part of a fence surrounding the property, snapped trees along Pittsburgh Street and knock out power lines along the road.

Nearby homes and apartments sustained damage from the shock wave or debris. Dust and other debris covered yards and homes. Cleanup took weeks in some cases, though most of it was gone in a matter of days.

When Charah announced plans to also implode a large boiler house building on the site later in the summer, a group of residents sued, calling for an injunction to stop that implosion. They claimed they already suffered property damage and health concerns caused by pollution from the smokestack implosion.

A hearing in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court was scheduled in September, just days before the second implosion was to take place.

Twelve days of testimony and an on-site visit were spread over almost four months. Both sides brought in expert witnesses. The legal wrangling resulted in a judge ordering the sides to come up with a safety plan for the boiler house demolition and requiring the county health department and the state Department of Environmental Protection to sign off on the plan.

A public hearing still is pending. Once complete, the judge said, he will rule on whether the demolition can go forward.

Kiski River gators

The Kiski River gained national attention in late July when someone shot video of an alligator swimming in the river.

Police and humane officials combed the riverbanks looking for signs of the reptile, thought to be about 4 feet long.

More sightings ensued, and traps were baited along the river but came up empty. The elusive gator was nicknamed “Chomper.”

Finally, a week after the search began, Chomper was spotted by some kayakers, who were able to grab it and take it to a humane officer. The alligator was relocated to a Pittsburgh-based rescue group and has a future as an alligator ambassador, visiting schools and other locations to educate people about the remarkable creatures.

But the Kiski River wasn’t done. Soon, a second, smaller gator was spotted, sparking another search that came up empty. While Chomper’s origins remain officially unknown, the new animal, Neo, hails from Butler County.

Officials know that because two men, one from Butler and another who lives near the Kiski River, told police Neo had escaped from them.

Austin Randall, 23, of Lyndora, Butler County, told officials he was giving his pet to Dominic Hayward, 26, who lives near the river and keeps alligators at his home. Both men eventually were fined $179 by the state Fish and Boat Commission for illegally releasing the alligator.

Hayward’s fiancee, Stephanie A. Suman, 26, of Kiski Township, was charged via summons last month with two misdemeanor counts each of reckless endangerment and cruelty to animals. Police say she risked public safety by keeping alligators in a makeshift enclosure that wasn’t fit for the reptiles and couldn’t stop them from roaming the neighborhood.

Suman was ordered to appear Jan. 25 for a preliminary hearing before District Judge James Andring.

Neo has not been found.

Popular pub owner gunned down

The year wrapped up on another somber note with the murder of David “Mogie” Magill outside his restaurant an pub in Lower Burrell.

Magill, 64, was shot and killed the morning of Dec. 21. Nathan Salem, 45, is charged with homicide in the case. Police said, after shooting Magill, Salem drove to Lower Burrell City Hall and turned himself in, confessing to the shooting.

The outpouring of grief and support for Magill’s family was huge, with hundreds showing up for a candlelight vigil just hours after news spread of his death.

Though sometimes controversial — he defied orders to shut down his business during the covid pandemic — and his conservative political views, Magill was best known for his efforts to support police and first responders and his generosity in fundraising and support of local groups and charities.

A celebration of life service is planned for Magill on Saturday, Jan. 6, at the Lower Burrell VFW.