Delaware County network disruption causes courthouse delays, service interruptions

MEDIA, Pa. (WPVI) -- A network disruption affecting Delaware County since Friday has caused some interruptions to county services, including reported delays at the courthouse and outages affecting phones and internet access across multiple departments.

Residents arriving at the Delaware County Courthouse reported being unable to complete routine court-related business because of the outage.

Terrance Brunson said he and his father came to the courthouse to file a motion but were told it could not be processed because the internet was down.

"With the internet being down, they won't let me file," Brunson said.

His father, Terrance Brunson Sr., said the delay could have significant consequences.

"Going to lose his matter by default by them not docketing," he said.

The county has acknowledged the disruption, saying it has been experiencing network issues since Friday. Residents described the effects as far-reaching.

"They can't go on computers, they can't look up anything, they can't print nothing out," said Judy Lefkowitz of Folcroft, who came to the courthouse for a hearing.

Lefkowitz said cases were being taken out of order during the disruption.

James Lefkowitz of Ridley Park said courthouse staff and visitors appeared to be struggling with the outage.

"Everybody is really struggling right now. I can see everyone lifting their laptops and opening them every five minutes just to see if the internet has come back on," he said.

Several county agencies and departments have warned residents about service impacts. Delaware County Council, the Sheriff's Office, the District Attorney's Office, the Department of Military and Veteran Affairs, and county libraries all posted on social media that phones and internet services were unavailable.

Greg Johnson of Chester said he experienced delays as a result.

"It was a long time waiting because they had no phones," Johnson said.

County officials said critical services remain operational despite the disruption. In a statement, the county said, "...people may still check out books but will need their physical library card with them, some appointments will need to be rescheduled with departments like the Register of Wills, and so on."

Officials have not said what caused the outage.

The disruption has drawn comparisons to a November 2020 ransomware attack that struck Delaware County. During that incident, hackers infiltrated county systems through a phishing email and stole sensitive data. The county later paid the hackers $25,000 to regain control of its system.

County officials declined to explain why systems remain down but said they hope service will be restored as soon as possible. No timeline for restoration has been provided.

Residents affected by the outage expressed frustration, including the Brunsons, who printed out the Pennsylvania Constitution to support their argument that their rights were being denied.

"Access to court should never be denied and it's being denied," Terrance Brunson Sr. said.