Police said the driver intentionally entered the Multnomah Athletic Club with explosive devices inside the vehicle.
PORTLAND, OR — A person died early Saturday after a vehicle crashed into the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland and caught fire, prompting a bomb squad response after investigators found explosive and incendiary devices inside the building, police said.
The crash turned a private athletic club in Portland’s Goose Hollow neighborhood into the center of a large local and federal investigation. Portland police said the vehicle entered the club at about 2:49 a.m., when the building was closed to members. No club members, staff or guests were reported injured. The Portland Police Bureau said the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other agencies helped secure the area and process the scene.
Police said employees saw the vehicle moving slowly around the Multnomah Athletic Club before it entered the property at 1849 Southwest Salmon Street. The vehicle continued farther inside and soon caught fire, according to police. Portland Fire and Rescue and police officers arrived and found the driver dead inside after the flames were controlled. At a Saturday afternoon news conference, Portland Police Chief Bob Day said the early evidence pointed to a contained incident. “With the best of information we have right now, this was an isolated event and not related to domestic terrorism,” Day said.
Investigators found multiple improvised explosive devices and incendiary devices during a search of the vehicle and building, police said. Some had partially detonated and caused significant damage, while others were found in different states of activation. Propane tanks were among the materials recovered. The Metropolitan Explosive Disposal Unit used specialized robots to assess, recover and detonate remaining hazardous devices. Police said detectives believe the driver intentionally entered the building with the intent to deploy explosive devices. Authorities had not publicly released the driver’s name by Saturday evening, and the medical examiner’s access to the body was delayed while crews worked to make the scene safe.
The Multnomah Athletic Club is a longtime Portland institution near Providence Park, the city’s major soccer stadium. The club says it was founded in 1891 and serves more than 21,000 members. The eight-level building includes athletic facilities, restaurants, meeting rooms, ballrooms and pools. Police said the crash happened hours after May Day events and near a stadium that is expected to draw large crowds for major soccer events, so extra public safety resources were activated while officers checked for any broader threat. Day said police did not find evidence tying the crash to domestic terrorism. He also said a separate April 8 crash at the club was unrelated.
Jim DeFrain, a Portland police officer and supervisor with the explosive disposal unit, described the scene as unusually complex. Crews worked for hours with limited breaks while examining devices, moving evidence and checking for remaining hazards. Some devices appeared to have started to ignite but were not fully consumed. Investigators said the damage was serious, but the outcome could have been worse because not all devices went off. A club spokesperson said the damage was significant but contained. The exterior appeared largely intact from the street, though the glass entry area was shattered and the ground floor had fire and water damage.
Federal investigators were called because of the explosive materials, but Portland police remained the lead investigating agency Saturday. The immediate tasks included identifying the driver, documenting the devices, confirming the full damage inside the building and determining a motive. Officials said the investigation remained active and that more information would be released when appropriate. Several streets around Southwest 18th Avenue, Southwest 20th Avenue, Southwest Taylor Street, Southwest Madison Street and Southwest Salmon Street were affected as crews worked in and around the club.
The Multnomah Athletic Club canceled programs, services and scheduled activities until further notice while law enforcement and fire crews continued their work. General manager Charles Leverton said the club had received support from across Portland. “We are a community, not a building,” Leverton said. Police said there was no known ongoing threat to the broader community after the neighborhood sweep, but the building itself remained part of an active investigation. The next public milestone is expected to be an update from police or federal partners after the scene is cleared and the driver is formally identified.
Author note: Last updated Saturday, May 2, 2026.