Now
39°
Wed
53°
Thu
52°
by Victor Park, KATU
PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — An abandoned Portland school has become a magnet for break-ins, police arrests, and TikTok videos as people sneak inside the long-empty building.
The latest incident drew many officers rushing to the quiet neighborhood of Ashcreek in the middle of the night.
George Smith School has been closed for more than 20 years.
Today, the abandoned elementary school looms in the wind.
Cracked and boarded windows hold the quiet echoes of laughter that once filled the halls.
Now, trouble seems to be taking over.
Portland police swarmed the school in the middle of the night on Saturday.
“Central Precinct officer responded to a report of a burglary in progress to an unused school building in the 8900 block of SW 52nd Ave.,” police spokesperson Kevin Allen told KATU.
Police used dogs and a drone to search for two people suspected of breaking into the school.
“Police and Security Officers cleared the school and found no one inside. There was at least one window that appeared to be recently broken. As of yet, there is no other fresh damage or missing items. It’s difficult to tell as there have been previous incidents of vandalism,” Allen said.
Police confirm a 17-year-old boy from Beaverton was arrested, fingerprinted and photographed before he was released to his parents.
The boy will be charged with criminal trespass, Allen said.
The other person ran away when police arrived and was not found.
Police suspect the site could be a target of a TikTok trend.
“There are some indications that this building has been the subject of some popular posts on TikTok, which may be prompting some young people to try recreating those videos.” Allen said.
KATU uncovered TikTok videos from users posting videos of themselves breaking into abandoned buildings across the Pacific Northwest, including Smith Elementary School.
People who live in the area say the park behind the schools attracts families every day.
“We love this park, particularly because we get to bring our dog, and she gets to play in the big field back there, and the kids can play on the park in the play structure,” Ryan Hazlik told KATU.
Hazlik is staying with in-laws in nearby Multnomah Village while his Southeast Portland home is getting remodeled. So finding a place like Smith Park is crucial for his family.
Others who live in the Ashcreek neighborhood find the news surprising — like Nathan Ratcliffe. “That's super surprising. I mean, this is a pretty nice neighborhood. I don't think much stuff happens here.”
“I understand why people would want to break in and explore and do crazy things, you know, because it's tempting, right?” Hazlik said.
Officers have been called to the school six times in the last year.
“This is not atypical. I see additional recent calls of burglary on Feb 27, Jan 5, Nov 28,” Allen said.
He added that on Oct. 20, two men were arrested with guns.
Another call on May 5, 2025, led to four juveniles arrested.
“There have been some other calls that involved alarm trips and officers have cleared the building without finding anyone,” Allen said.
Whether that was paranormal activity or a person, some hope the building could become someday become a light in the neighborhood.
“It would be nice if the building is repurposed for something then, you know, you wouldn't have those issues, right?” Hazlik said.
2026 Sinclair, Inc.