Transient swept into Johnson Creek, drowns, near Tacoma Street

Published 12:00 am Saturday, December 23, 2023

High, fast-flowing water in Johnson Creek swept a transient man away to his death on Monday morning, December 4, just after 8 a.m. just southwest of the Tacoma Street Overpass in Sellwood – roughly opposite the Tenino Terrace apartments, in the flood plain. Reportedly, he was living at a homeless camp under the overpass, not far from the creek’s edge. Johnson Creek was running high from the heavy rainfall of a stalled tropical “atmospheric river”.

Others who lived at the encampment told searchers they saw the man swept away; some ran down along the embankment after him until he disappeared under the rushing water.

Portland Fire & Rescue PF&R dispatched several squads, including Westmoreland Station 20’s Engine Company. Clackamas Fire District 1, the Milwaukie Police, Lake Oswego Fire, and Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue arrived to provide mutual aid. But they were unable to find him to make a rescue, and eventually the mission turned into a recovery mission.

“The water [from the heavy rain] became very turbulent there, and each of the swift water rescue craft flipped over,” reported PF&R Public Information Officer Rick Graves. “All those rescuers were able to self-rescue and get out of the water. Although they regularly train for incidents like this, the water there was more than they could handle.”

“Responding police and fire units were unable to locate the man, and [the flooded] conditions were deemed unsafe for the dive team to deploy to search,” Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Deputy John Plock confirmed.

Later that day, the deceased man’s body was spotted downstream by a property owner, who reported it to officials, who then were able to recover it.

The victim’s identity, if authorities were able to determine it, had not yet been made public as this issue of THE BEE went to press.