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Ohio: Vandals Steal Copper Pipes From Senior's Home:

Company Replaces Pipes Stolen From Woman's Home

POSTED: 5:24 pm EDT March 17, 2008
UPDATED: 6:56 pm EDT March 17, 2008

CLEVELAND -- It's becoming more and more common for vacant and foreclosed homes to be broken into for the copper piping, and now criminal are getting bolder.

Last week, thieves busted down the door of Joan Klir's Cleveland home and ripped out almost all the copper pipes.

"I have lived in this house for 71 years. I am 73 years old. I'm a senior citizen on a low income. I still can't believe it," Klir said.

With copper now selling for more than $2 a pound, this is becoming an all-too-common problem.

"Just in the last week, we've received three calls from customers who have been vandalized in new construction or existing homes, broken a door or a window, gone in, cut the copper plumbing system apart, in this poor lady's case, they cut it and flooded the basement as well," said Chris Nagy, of the Nagy Service Company.

Klir was at her church fish fry volunteering and was only gone for a few hours. Nagy said he felt moved to help her.

"As a family business, we are here to help families like Joan, and we want to make sure she is taken care of. It just broke my heart," Nagy said.

The company is doing the work free of charge, using alternative piping that is more durable, more cost effective and safer.

Klir, who has been using bottled water for a week, is grateful.

"We need more people like that in the world," she said.

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