Canned food is raining from a Portland skyscraper… and no one knows who’s behind it

A rain of canned goods fell from a skyscraper in Portland, and no one knows who caused the particularly dangerous rain of cans.

Cans have been crashing into the streets below the 23-story Ladd Tower in Portland, Oregon, for weeks, and local residents are increasingly concerned about the potentially deadly consequences.

Employees at the neighboring Higgins restaurant in downtown Portland say they recently noticed cans being thrown out of the building and crashing past them, sometimes narrowly missing them.

Cans have already damaged the car of one restaurant employee, Lauren Ellis, who told KOIN that the roof of her vehicle was dented after she found cans, including a damaged can of ravioli, lying around her car after her shift.

“At first I looked at my car to see there was no initial damage, but I didn’t think to look at the top of the car,” Ellis said. “I’m lucky I didn’t hit the windshield or wasn’t in the vehicle when the can hit my car.”

Dylan Shmitt, Higgins’ general manager, told the facility there were several “close calls” with some employees and other passersby wandering the street.

“It happens in the afternoons when people come in for our evening shifts, so it poses a risk to commuters and civilians,” Shmitt said. “Late last week, during our last meeting, one of our chefs almost got hit by this and it exploded right next to him.”

The Portland Police Bureau is aware of a hail of cans coming from the building after receiving the first report of the strange incident nearly six weeks ago, police said. Independent, he added that the situation was “extremely disturbing.”

Police say the person is believed to be occupying an apartment on the upper floor of the 23-story Ladd Tower, but it is very difficult to determine exactly what unit he is from, so they are asking for the public’s help and asking anyone who may know the person’s identity who should be contacted.

Even if they were to go door-to-door and interview the entire building, which they say remains an option, most people actually own at least one or two canned goods, making this bizarre situation increasingly difficult to investigate.

“Unless someone confesses, PPB personnel cannot search the residence without probable cause and/or a warrant,” a police spokesman said.

“Most people have canned food at home, so even if they have it, it doesn’t make them suspicious.”

Initially, Atlas Pacific, the security team at Ladd Tower, did not consider the cans lying on the street to be unusual because there is a church food bank nearby and the streets surrounding the building can sometimes be littered with food.

But when they received Ms. Ellis’s report, they realized how “mysterious” the can-tossing was, they said Oregonian. No one was injured in the incidents.

Holland Partner Group, which manages Ladd Tower, also said it was willing to cooperate with police, and Dan Tremaine-McCarthy, the group’s communications manager, told the outlet they had sent a letter to tenants notifying residents of the situation.

The letter reportedly asks residents to report anything they see and, if “done safely,” to record video or take photos of the can throwing.

Meanwhile, residents are waiting for information whether the perpetrator will be caught.

“It’s still happening,” Ellis told the outlet. “I think we are all interested in finding out who it is so as not to continue this topic.

“A can from 18 stories up could obviously kill someone, if not severely injure them.”