Former Employee Drives Explosives-Filled Car Into Multnomah Athletic Club, Kills Driver in Portland

A person died after a vehicle carrying explosives crashed through the front entrance of the Multnomah Athletic Club in downtown Portland, Oregon, early Saturday morning, and Portland police later found evidence of explosive devices inside the car.

“1 dead after vehicle crashes into Oregon health club, police say Evidence of an explosive device was found in the vehicle, police said”

ABC

Portland Fire and Rescue responded to a report of a vehicle driving into the front entrance of the Multnomah Athletic Club a little before 3 a.m. local time, and the vehicle caught fire after the crash, according to CBS News and KATU.

ABC

Investigators later found “several homemade explosives and propane tanks,” with the Portland Police Bureau’s Explosive Disposal Unit assisting with the investigation, KATU reported.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reported that investigators believed the former employee rented a black Nissan Rogue on Friday and drove it into the building, careening around the first floor before setting off explosive devices.

At a Saturday afternoon press conference, Sgt. Jim DeFrain, who heads the Metro Explosive Disposal Unit, said some devices detonated and some did not, and emergency responders extinguished the blaze around 3 a.m., according to OregonLive.

Police said the driver entered the building’s lobby, turned right, and drove through a set of turnstiles before heading toward 26 Founders, a table service restaurant at the private club, OregonLive reported.

After the fire was contained, police said the person who died was found inside the vehicle, CNN and the Independent both reported, while KATU said crews found one person dead inside the vehicle after firefighters extinguished the blaze.

Multiple outlets described the explosive disposal work and the scale of damage inside the Multnomah Athletic Club.

OregonLive reported that investigators found incendiary devices and improvised explosive devices, including some that had already been detonated and some that had started to do so and then fizzled out, and DeFrain said, “This is a dirty, dangerous, complex job.”

CBS News

OregonLive also said the ground floor of the building was “completely destroyed” and suffered “millions of dollars in damages,” citing a law enforcement source with direct knowledge of the situation.

KATU reported that when investigators arrived just after 4 a.m., they located devices that had already detonated, causing significant damage, and that crews continued to discover more devices throughout the day.

KATU added that there was concern of the gas line being close to the scene because the kitchen was in the vicinity of where the car caught fire, and it said the Explosive Disposal Unit used remote methods, such as robots, to move located devices safely.

MyNorthwest/AP reported that investigators found “multiple incendiary devices and improvised explosive devices, or IEDs,” and that “Some had partially detonated, causing significant damage, while others were in varying stages of activation. Propane tanks were among the materials discovered.”

KPTV/Gray News similarly said investigators found “a number of” incendiary and improvised explosive devices shortly after 4 a.m., with some already gone off and devices still being found as of Saturday afternoon.

Investigators and local reporting tied the crash to a former employee of the Multnomah Athletic Club, and multiple outlets named Bruce Whitman as the suspected driver.

“One person is dead following a fiery crash at a health club early Saturday in Portland, Oregon, and evidence of an explosive device was found in the vehicle, police said”

CNN

OregonLive reported that a law enforcement source with direct knowledge of the situation said investigators believe Whitman is the suspect in Saturday’s incident, and it described that the club had been tightening its security after Whitman was arrested for verbally confronting members at their homes and in public.

KPTV/Gray News reported that a law enforcement source close to the investigation said investigators believe that 49-year-old Bruce Whitman was the driver, and it said police say his body was burned beyond recognition but they were able to tie the rental car used in the attack to Whitman.

KPTV also said FOX 12 had seen letters sent from the Multnomah Athletic Club to their members warning about a former employee named Bruce Whitman dating back to 2022, and it reported that in at least three letters from June 2022 the club said Whitman approached members in public and at their homes, with at least five members verbally accosted at their doorsteps.

KPTV further reported that the club said after Whitman’s verbal threats escalated, he was detained by Portland police and placed on a psychiatric hold, and it said police executed a search warrant at Whitman’s house on Saturday evening.

OregonLive reported that Portland police officers executed a search warrant at a North Portland address listed as Whitman’s and confirmed it was in connection to the vandalism at the Multnomah Athletic Club.

The Guardian and CNN both said the driver was a former employee, with The Guardian citing the Oregonian newspaper, while ABC and the Independent described the incident without naming the driver.

The Multnomah Athletic Club closed immediately after the crash and told members to avoid the area while law enforcement processed the scene.

OregonLive reported that in an email to members, club officials announced the sprawling facility was closed Saturday “until further notice,” and general manager Charles Leverton wrote, “No MAC employees or members were injured,” in the incident.

KATU

KATU reported that the club will remain closed until further notice to allow law enforcement to complete their work and for the club to ensure the facility is safe, and it quoted the communications director saying, “The MAC will remain closed until further notice to allow law enforcement to complete their work and for us to ensure the facility is safe.”

KATU also quoted the club’s emailed statement saying, “We are grateful for the swift response and coordination among local and federal authorities, including the Portland Police Bureau and Portland Fire & Rescue.”

Multiple outlets said federal agencies were involved, including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with OregonLive naming both and CNN and CBS News saying special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were responding.

MyNorthwest/AP reported that additional public safety resources were activated due to the location’s proximity to Providence Park and that police swept the neighborhood and secured the area.

At a Saturday afternoon news conference, Portland Police Chief Bob Day told reporters that the bureau feels confident there are no other threats and that the crash was an isolated incident, and KATU quoted Day saying, “But, we can assure both the members of Goose Hollow, this community, the Timbers organization, Thorns, and greater Portland area that we feel like we've got things contained at the moment.”

Coverage of the Portland incident diverged in emphasis, especially around motive framing, the level of information released, and how the suspect was characterized.

CNN and the Independent both described the death and the presence of an explosive device but said little information was immediately available from the Portland Police Bureau, and CNN reported that Portland police said the person who died was found inside the vehicle after the fire was contained.

KBTX News 3

The Guardian similarly described the vehicle plowing into the health club and said investigators later found explosives inside the car, but it framed the driver as a former employee and cited the Oregonian newspaper for details about the former employee being “allegedly disgruntled and with mental health issues.”

In contrast, OregonLive’s account relied on law enforcement sources with direct knowledge and described investigators believing the former employee rented a black Nissan Rogue on Friday and used it to drive into the building, with some devices detonating and some did not.

KATU and MyNorthwest/AP both included the investigative timeline of devices being found after 4 a.m. and the use of robots or remote methods, but KATU foregrounded the concern about a gas line being close to the scene.

ABC and CBS News both quoted or paraphrased police statements that the incident appeared isolated and not related to domestic terrorism, with CBS News quoting Portland Police Chief Bob Day saying the incident was believed to be isolated and “not related to domestic terrorism.”

KPTV/Gray News and KPTV/FOX 12 both named Bruce Whitman and described prior club warnings and police actions including a psychiatric hold, while OregonLive described the club tightening security after Whitman was arrested for verbally confronting members at their homes and in public.