Federal investigators are scouring online marketplaces and local storage units after thieves smashed the rear window of a rental car at a Portland hotel on Oct. 29, 2025, then allegedly tried to flip stolen Army gear on the internet. Agents have already recovered a chunk of the haul in a May search, but at least one specialized survival radio is still missing.
Army investigators served a search warrant on a Clackamas County apartment on May 20, 2026, and seized two military radios, a vest harness and a headset, as reported by KGW. Federal court records and the station's reporting describe a stolen cache worth more than $33,000, including flight helmets, flight suits, cold-weather gear, survival knives, Apple iPads and a Getac military laptop that held flight logs, maintenance records and personally identifiable information for U.S. service members.
What Those Radios Do
Combat Survivor Evader Locator radios are built to send secure, long-range location data and messages that help recover downed aircrew and other isolated personnel, according to the Navy's NAVAIR program office. Because the system uses encrypted, over-the-horizon communication, officials say a missing CSEL unit is a national-security headache, not just a misplaced gadget.
Sales Traced To Online Listings, Investigators Say
Investigators told reporters they uncovered Facebook Marketplace and eBay listings that appeared to match the stolen hardware, and said several items showed as sold to buyers outside Oregon. The investigation tracked at least one March 2 Facebook post to a man who reported staying with Portland resident Steven Reginato and using Reginato's account to sell property. Earlier paperwork ties a person connected to the vehicle break-in to a Dec. 16, 2025 arrest on an unlawful-entry charge, according to KGW.
Local Man Responds, Legal Status
Reginato told KGW he did not know what the equipment was for or how it was being sold, adding, "they took what they came for." He has not been charged in connection with the stolen military gear. The Multnomah County District Attorney's office declined to prosecute the separate motor-vehicle entry case last December, according to reporting and public records.
Why Officials Are Alert
For investigators, the laptop and radios are the real nightmare scenario. The seized Getac laptop allegedly stored flight logs, maintenance records and personal data that could put service members or aircraft operations at risk if they landed in the wrong hands. Law enforcement agencies have repeatedly found that stolen items can move quickly from car prowls to online listings or secondhand shops, including in a recent Multnomah County investigation into an alleged fencing operation reported by KPTV.
The federal probe is still active as agents work to track down the missing radio and any remaining equipment. No federal charges have been announced. The case is a pointed reminder that a single hotel-parking-lot break-in can escalate into a full-blown national-security investigation when specialized military hardware is involved.
