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---
title: "Car With Explosive Devices Crashes Into Portland Athletic Club, Driver Dead"
url: https://www.herespartanburg.com/portland-multnomah-athletic-club-explosive-car-crash/
date: 2026-05-03T04:46:55-04:00
modified: 2026-05-03T04:46:55-04:00
author: "Hollis V. Blackwell"
categories: ["National"]
site: "HERESpartanburg"
attribution: "HERESpartanburg"
---

# Car With Explosive Devices Crashes Into Portland Athletic Club, Driver Dead

*Source: [HERESpartanburg](https://www.herespartanburg.com/portland-multnomah-athletic-club-explosive-car-crash/) — May 3, 2026 by Hollis V. Blackwell*

A man drove a car loaded with improvised explosive devices through the front entrance of a prominent Portland, Oregon, social club in the early morning hours of Saturday, May 2, killing himself and triggering a 14-hour bomb disposal operation that closed several downtown streets and drew federal investigators to the scene.

Portland Fire and Rescue crews responded at approximately 2:49 a.m. to reports that a vehicle had crashed through the front entrance of the Multnomah Athletic Club, located at 1849 Southwest Salmon Street in the city’s Goose Hollow neighborhood. The vehicle caught fire after the crash. When firefighters brought the blaze under control, they found one person deceased inside the car.

During a subsequent search of the vehicle and building, investigators with the Portland Police Bureau’s Metropolitan Explosive Disposal Unit found multiple incendiary devices and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), some of which had already partially detonated, causing significant structural damage. At least 16 propane tanks were tagged as evidence at the scene. Pipe bombs were also identified among the materials. Specialized robots were used to safely assess, move, and detonate the remaining hazardous devices.

Portland Police Commander James Crooker said the driver entered through the club’s glass-walled front window, turned right toward a ground-floor restaurant and front desk, and appeared to have attempted to set off the explosives while inside. The interior of the entryway was left with 2 inches of standing water and charred by burn marks, with the vehicle still inside the building. Despite the scale of the explosive cache, Crooker noted that many of the devices failed to fully detonate, limiting the damage. No club members, staff, or guests were injured.

Portland Police Chief Bob Day said investigators believe the attack was an isolated incident and not connected to domestic terrorism. Officers were initially concerned the crash could be linked to May Day protests the night before, or to the MAC’s proximity to Providence Park stadium — but both theories were ruled out. A source with direct knowledge of the investigation said the suspected driver was a former employee of the club who had a history of mental health issues and was allegedly disgruntled at the time of the attack. The driver’s official identity had not been released as of Saturday evening because the medical examiner had not yet been permitted into the building due to ongoing safety concerns.

The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives both dispatched investigators to assist. Jim DeFrain, the Portland police officer who supervises the explosive disposal unit, described the scene as the most complex he had encountered in 13 years with the city. His team worked 14 hours with limited breaks.

The Multnomah Athletic Club, founded 135 years ago, is one of the largest private social clubs in the United States, spanning 600,000 square feet across eight floors. Its general manager, Charles Leverton, said the club and its roughly 22,000 members had received an outpouring of support from across Portland. Club leadership said the facility would remain closed until further notice and that the expected closure would be prolonged.

Notably, this was the second time in less than a month that a vehicle struck the club. On April 8, a separate car hit a planter box and a security guard at the same location, causing minor damage. Police Chief Day said the two incidents were unrelated.

The incident draws direct attention to the readiness of bomb disposal units at law enforcement agencies across the country. In Spartanburg, the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office participates in mutual-aid explosive disposal protocols with neighboring jurisdictions, and the Spartanburg Department of Public Safety maintains emergency response coordination procedures that align with the kind of multi-agency response deployed in Portland. Events such as the MAC attack underscore the importance of those local capacities — the 14-hour operation in Portland required round-the-clock availability of specialized robotic equipment, bomb-suited personnel, and real-time coordination between municipal police, fire, the FBI, and the ATF.