PORTLAND, Ore. — During Wednesday's historic Portland snowstorm, many people abandoned their vehicles across the city after running into several obstacles while attempting to get home. With a break in precipitation, several owners returned to retrieve their cars Friday.
One man told KGW he spent about 17 hours on the road Wednesday into Thursday, trying to get from his job as an arborist in Aloha back to his home in Southeast Portland. He said cars and semis blocked exits and off-ramps, forcing him to pull over and abandon his car on I-205.
"I got stuck there," Joshua said. "I just kind of gave up. I parked my car on the side of the road and started to walk."
Although he ultimately made it home safely after walking and taking public transit, when he returned to his car on Friday, he noticed that someone had broken into his vehicle.
"They broke out that window," he said, pointing out the damage. "Then, they went under the hood and tried to steal the car, but that didn't work. They tried to steal the battery, and the computer. They ripped out the fuses and relays, ripped out my wiring harness. They stole everything and then they took an axe to the whole engine bay and then to the interior of the car."
He said glass covered the inside of the vehicle. The front bumper and hood were broken. On top of all that, the car wouldn't start.
"I've thought it over a million times," Joshua said. "Should I have moved the car somewhere else? But there was really no place to move it. Everybody was stuck."
On Friday night, a friend with a truck stepped in to help, driving all the way up from Corvallis.
"He was very nice, and tied it up and we towed it all the way home. That was like a victory," he said.
On Saturday, the Portland Police Bureau said it had limited information about possible car prowls or vandalism post-snowstorm, and said these incidents are often reported later on, given the staffing shortage and delays in response times for non-emergency calls.
Joshua doubts he's the only victim.
"I'm positive that there were other cars that this happened to," he said. "I've seen several other cars with their windows broke out or their wheels gone. I'm sure it happened to several other people, it wasn't just me."