YouTube video leads Portland police to alleged graffiti vandal — and $10,000 in spray paint and supplies

A YouTube documentary series called “CHAOSTOWN,” in which a Portland tagger bragged about having a huge stash of spray paint, led police to his Centennial neighborhood home — and the seizure of $10,000 from his spray paint and its supplies, police said.

Portland police said Tuesday they searched the home of suspect James S. Fischel in the 1800 block of 174th Avenue Southeast while he was not there.

But officers found a stash of more than 1,500 cans of spray paint, which Fischel, 40, called “every graffiti artist's fantasy” on an episode of “CHAOSTOWN,” the Portland Police Bureau said Tuesday in his press release.

PPB Neighborhood Response Team officers began investigating the Portland man after discovering the YouTube video featuring a person they identified as Fischel in mid-May, said the police. Although Fischel was hidden in the video, officers gathered enough information to link the video to him and his home, police said.

Police allege Fischel is responsible for a series of GIMER tags meaning Graffiti is Me Escaping Reality. He is also suspected of providing supplies to other graffiti vandals, police said.

Police have not arrested Fischel and he has not been charged with any crimes related to the seizure Tuesday. But police said in their statement that this would change.

“Although Fischel is currently out of the area, law enforcement is aware of his location and is pursuing criminal charges,” the statement said.

— Tanner Todd covers crime and public safety. Contact them at [email protected] or 503-221-4313.