Leo Farnsworth woke up Saturday morning to find his truck sitting on flat tires outside his downtown Portland apartment for the second time in three weeks. Farnsworth, who has battled osteosarcoma for 16 years, is one of at least eight vehicle owners near Southwest Broadway and Salmon streets whose cars were targeted in a mass tire-slashing spree that Portland police are now investigating.
Farnsworth's truck, parked on Southwest Salmon Street near the Park Tower Apartments, was among the vehicles hit, according to KPTV. This time all four of his tires were slashed; on August 18, he says, vandals cut two of his tires in an earlier attack. Days after the most recent incident, his truck and several other cars in the area remained flat, the station reports.
Area residents told the station they counted nearly a dozen cars with flattened tires after Saturday's spree, though Portland police say they have so far received reports of eight cars affected. Victims described waking up that morning to discover some or all of their tires flattened, with the vehicles clustered in the blocks surrounding Broadway and Salmon streets. Police confirmed to the outlet that no arrests have been made in connection with the vandalism.
A Vulnerable Population Bears the Brunt
The residents whose cars were damaged are largely seniors or people with disabilities living in affordable housing at Park Tower Apartments, per the same account. The building operates as a 162-unit HUD-inspected housing complex dedicated specifically to low-income residents aged 55 and older and individuals with disabilities, according to ProPublica data. The structure itself has a notable past — it opened in 1926 as the historic Heathman Hotel, once home to radio station KOIN, before being converted into subsidized housing in 1982 and later added to the National Register of Historic Places, according to Wikipedia.
Park Tower residents told the station they now feel unsafe parking their cars on the street, even though street parking is their only option. Farnsworth said his savings are drying up and he isn't sure he'll be able to pay for repairs. He said he fears his truck could be towed and that he may lose what he calls the last vestiges of his past life.
What the Repair Bills Could Mean for Victims
The financial math is unforgiving for residents on fixed incomes. Median tire replacement costs reached $223 per tire in 2023, plus installation fees of $25 to $31 per tire, putting the cost of replacing four slashed tires at roughly $1,000, according to data reported by Performance Plus Tire. While comprehensive auto insurance typically covers slashed tires as vandalism, policyholders must first cover out-of-pocket deductibles that usually range from $250 to $500, per Progressive — meaning reimbursement only kicks in once repair costs exceed that threshold. A 2025 AAA survey found the average unexpected vehicle repair bill of $500 to $600 is an expense 64 million U.S. drivers cannot absorb without going into debt, according to data cited by Experian.
Under Oregon law, the stakes for whoever is responsible could be steep. Intentionally damaging property worth more than $1,000 qualifies as Criminal Mischief in the First Degree, a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison, under Oregon Revised Statutes Section 164.365 as detailed by Justia. Damage between $500 and $1,000 falls under Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree, a Class A misdemeanor carrying up to 364 days in jail, per Oregon Revised Statutes Section 164.354 as outlined by FindLaw. With eight or more vehicles targeted, total damages across the spree could easily cross the felony threshold.
Part of a Broader Pattern in Portland
The downtown spree lands amid a mixed picture for property crime citywide. Overall property crime in Portland fell 3 percent in 2025 to its lowest level since 2016, yet police still received 10,354 reports of property vandalism that year, according to data reported by KGW. Within the Downtown Portland Clean and Safe district specifically, the Portland Police Bureau recorded 82 vandalism offenses in the first quarter of 2026, down slightly from 86 the previous quarter.
Vehicle vandalism sprees have drawn serious prosecution in the region before. In March 2025, an Oregon judge sentenced a 22-year-old man to 22 months for vandalism spree after he damaged dozens of cars across the Portland metro area and was convicted on four counts of first-degree criminal mischief.
How to Help the Investigation
Portland police are asking anyone with information about the tire slashings to email [email protected] and reference case number 26-259914. As of the station's reporting, no arrests have been made, and it remains unclear whether surveillance footage from the area will help identify who is responsible.
