Family members grieve at the scene of the car crash into the Willamette River in Portland, Ore., on April 6, 2026. Their loved one, who Portland Police Bureau says is likely deceased, is the only victim from the crash still missing. The family, who chose to not share their names, expressed anger that the rescue mission was called off for the day due to river conditions.
Eli Imadali / OPB
Portland police have released the names of two people who died when a car crashed through a barrier and went into the Willamette River in downtown Portland early Monday morning.
Roberto C. Garcia-Chavez, 19, and Trent Badillo, 17, both of Beavercreek, Oregon, died in the crash. Police believe Garcia-Chavez had been driving the car.
Officers saw the car speeding downtown in the wrong direction at about 2 a.m. Monday. Officers turned on their overhead lights to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver sped away.
Police said the car went east on Southwest Harvey Milk Street, crossing Naito Parkway and going through Waterfront Park before going into the Willamette River.
Caution tape and a city vehicle block off the scene of the car crash into the Willamette River in Portland, Ore., on April 6, 2026.
Eli Imadali / OPB
A 17-year-old, whose name police have not released, was rescued after the crash and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of injuries police don’t believe are life-threatening.
Portland Fire & Rescue crews saw the teen in the water and rescued him using a cinch buoy.
Another person was in the car and has not been found. Police said the person is a 20-year-old male, but they have not released his name. They don’t believe he survived.
“This is a heartbreaking incident that has resulted in a tragic loss of life,” PPB Assistant Chief Brian Hughes said in a statement on Monday. “Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those affected as we continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding this event.”
According to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, deputies with the River Patrol Unit have conducted multiple sonar-based scans of the riverbed but still have not found the missing person.
Portland Fire and Rescue crew members undock their rescue boat at the scene of the car crash into the Willamette River in Portland, Ore., on April 6, 2026.
Eli Imadali / OPB
“Even with the newest sonar technology, these searches are made more difficult because of the riverbed itself being uneven,” Brent Weisberg, a MCSO spokesperson, said in an email on Tuesday. “Drop-offs, sediment build up, and submerged items can resemble a person on sonar.”
The sheriff’s office said deputies will continue to conduct additional “investigative searches” over the next several days based on river conditions.
Crews with PF&R were able to pinpoint a location Monday where the car may have been, using sonar scanning tools.
The car remained in the water as of Thursday morning.
“PPB investigators plan to remove the car from the water, and the process of identifying a contractor with the appropriate expertise and equipment to do this job is underway,” police said in a press release Thursday. “The method of recovery will be determined during this process, but it will likely be a water-based recovery. However, it will be some time before the retrieval takes place due to planning and logistics.”
The crash remains under investigation.
Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Lieutenant Jason Pearce speaks to press after a car crash into the Willamette River in Portland, Ore., on April 6, 2026.
Eli Imadali / OPB
