An alleged graffiti vandal who had been wanted since police raided his home in June 2024 and discovered $10,000 worth of spray paint and tools was taken into custody by Portland police on Thursday.
The Portland Police Bureau released a statement accusing 40-year-old James S. Fischell of first- and second-degree criminal mischief for a series of tags throughout Portland that read Graffiti is Me Escaping Reality, or GIMER.
After seeing an episode of the YouTube documentary series CHAOSTOWN, officers from the bureau’s Neighborhood Response Team began looking into the Portland man last May, according to police.
Despite Fischell’s efforts to hide his identity in the Portland is Losing the Graffiti War episode, police claim they were able to identify him as the subject of the show. When authorities raided Fischell’s home in the Centennial area on June 25, they found over 1,500 cans of spray paint, which Fischell referred to as “every graffiti writer’s dream” in the YouTube series.
Fischell was not at home when the raid occurred, and he eluded capture for over six months until being apprehended by authorities on Thursday.
In recent months, the Police Bureau has concentrated on apprehending graffiti vandals. Police detained a man they described as one of the city’s most prolific graffiti vandals in January 2024, and they also nabbed a suspected tagger they claim they caught in the act on September 5. During the summer, Portland’s state and local governments also worked together to remove graffiti from Interstate 84.
Crime, public safety, and local news are all topics covered by breaking news reporter Tatum Todd. You can contact them at 503-221-4313 or [email protected].
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