Police Sgt. D.F. Pace said the building, which contains dozens of apartments, has been a haven for transients over the last few years.
Pace said people who knew Bradly reported that he lived in the 100 block of North Columbus Boulevard. Pace said it was unlikely that he had a permanent address.
"Some of them come from as far away as California," Pace said of the drifters. "They find an abandoned building and hang out there."
The building, which has about six floors, has many boarded-up windows. Other windows are open, the panes long since gone.
The front courtyard of the building is blocked by a tall black iron fence, apparently to keep people out. The windows on the first floor are covered by black iron bars in addition to being boarded up with plywood.
The back of the building is a few feet from the sports fields of West Philadelphia High School. A broken metal door was wide open, allowing easy access to the building, and a hole in a chain-link fence allows people to enter the debris-strewn rear yard.
Neighbors said they had long voiced concern about drifters staying in the building.
"We were complaining about them for months," said Cynthia Jacobs, who lives in an apartment building across from the street from the abandoned building.
Jacobs, who has lived in the block for seven years, said the drifters stayed to themselves but "they would get rowdy at times."
Contact staff writer Vernon Clark at 215-854-5717 or vclark@phillynews.com.
