Trio Accused of Attempted Burglary at Former Hotel

Three men from Union were arrested Friday night after Springfield police found them inside the abandoned Hotel 304 West wearing headlamps, climbing harnesses and bearing tools commonly used to remove valuable metals, police said.

Christian Costa, James Ryan and Francis Stodolak, all 20 years old, were charged with burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary, attempted theft, criminal mischief and possession of burglar tools after police discovered the three men shortly after 11:30 p.m. 

Officer Brandon Lorenz was patrolling in the area of the rear of the building when he noticed a door that had a glass panel broken and removed, according to Detective Lt. Judd Levenson.

Lorenz called for back-up after discovering a shattered interior door. Sgt. Kevin Gilchrist and officers Brian Trotman and Daniel Zieser assisted in searching the four-story hotel, which has been closed since April. Because the building has no electric service, officers used their flashlights while searching the building, which includes an attached restaurant and bar. 

While searching the property, officers heard voices emanating from the elevator shaft.

"On the fourth floor, the officers came upon a faint light from portable Kerosene lamps and as they approached the lit up area that was by the hallway elevator doors they crept up on a male in the process of prying open the elevator doors," Levenson said. 

Officers were able to quietly arrest Costa before locating Ryan in the stairwell, and Stodolak in the elevator shaft, Levenson said. Officers also recovered hatchets and axes, pry bars, wrecking bars, hammers, pliers, screwdrivers, wrenches and knives. 

"The sheer amount and types of tools recovered indicates that these subjects had broken into the vacant hotel most likely with the intent of disassembling and taking valuable metals such as copper pipes and wiring and the elevator shafts are a prime conduit area where these items can be found," Levenson said.

"Based upon these arrests, detectives will be looking into whether these same subjects had committed a break-in to this building a week earlier where nothing had been taken as it is possible the earlier break-in was a scouting mission done to plan out their return which happily ended in their capture and arrests."

Police Chief John P. Cook commended the officers for their work.

"The keen observations and the techniques these officers used to stealthfully conduct a tedious and potentially hazardous search in the dark is an exceptional piece of police work," he said. "These burglars do not realize that not only did the portable Kerosene lanterns pose a serious risk to setting the entire building on fire but had they been injured, especially inside an elevator shaft, they may not have been found for days or weeks and may have died as a result."

Costa, Ryan and Stodolak were released from custody after each posted $5,000 bail. The trio has an initial court appearance on Aug. 19 in Superior Court for Union County in Elizabeth.