One dead after car crashes into Portland athletic club, explosive device found

A vehicle crashed through the front entrance of Portland’s Multnomah Athletic Club just before 3 a.m. Saturday, then caught fire, leaving one person dead inside and triggering a federal-assisted explosives investigation that spread beyond a single downtown block.

Firefighters from Portland Fire & Rescue reached the scene at 1849 SW Salmon St. in the Goose Hollow neighborhood and extinguished the flames before discovering the body inside the vehicle. Police said evidence of an explosive device was found in the car, prompting the Portland Police Bureau’s Explosive Disposal Unit to respond as federal law enforcement joined the investigation.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says it is the federal agency primarily responsible for explosives and arson investigations, while the Oregon State Police Explosives Unit also provides explosives investigations and render-safe services. Several streets around the club were closed during the response, including Southwest 18th Avenue from Taylor to Madison and Southwest 20th Avenue from Morrison to Madison, and TriMet said MAX light rail service was disrupted for several hours before trains resumed through the area shortly after 8 a.m.

The Multnomah Athletic Club said it would remain closed until further notice while law enforcement completed its work and staff assessed the damage. The 21,000-plus-member private athletic and social club said all programs, services and scheduled activities were canceled, and asked people not to come to the area.

The location adds weight to the case. The club, founded in 1891, has maintained a presence in Portland’s Goose Hollow neighborhood since 1900, overlooking Providence Park. The current building on Southwest Salmon Street is described by the Oregon Encyclopedia as the largest enclosed sports facility in the world, making it one of the city’s most recognizable civic landmarks as well as a daily gathering place for thousands of members.

The crash also came less than a month after another collision near the club’s front entrance on April 8, when a driver sideswiped another vehicle and hit a planter box, injuring a security guard. Police said there is no indication the two incidents are related.

What began as a deadly overnight crash has now become a public-safety investigation with implications well beyond Portland. Investigators are working to determine whether the vehicle was deliberately used as a delivery system for explosives, whether the club was the intended target, and how quickly venue security plans can adapt when a routine traffic barrier turns into a possible domestic security threat.