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A Portland firefighter arrested May 6 at a Northeast fire station is accused of sending sexually explicit photos to a minor girl and attempting to lure her.
Prosecutors allege in court documents that Lt. Vincent Alvarez sent photos of his penis to a minor girl in Deschutes County in 2025, prompting an investigation by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office.
Law enforcement traced some of the messages to Fire Station 28 in the Rose City Park neighborhood, and subsequently traced them to Alvarez. Alvarez was arrested and booked on three charges—two counts of luring a minor and one count of official misconduct in the first degree—on May 6.
According to an official charging document filed by a deputy district attorney, he’s also accused of a fourth crime: attempting to use a child in display of sexually explicit conduct, a Class B Felony.
Portland Fire and Rescue says Alvarez, 59, is currently on administrative leave.
A probable cause affidavit alleges that Alvarez contacted a 14-year old girl on TikTok and then added her on Snapchat, where he used the name “funfiremanjim.” On that platform, the two began chatting and he made sexually suggestive remarks to her, she told the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. According to the minor, she sent Alvarez a photo of herself watching television and he responded: “I’d love to spread them.”
A friend of the girl’s made a separate Snapchat profile and posed as a 14-year old, the affidavit states. The friend added Alvarez and the two began communicating. The minor says Alvarez sent her friend a picture of his penis, and later the two communicated via video and he showed himself masturbating. The detective reviewed both the photo and the video.
The affidavit says a Portland police detective visited Fire Station 28 on May 6, recognized Alvarez’s voice from the video, and took him to a police station. The detective “showed Alvarez a picture of the penis he sent to [female minor] and [asked] Alvarez if he knew how it could be on the internet,” the affidavit says. “Alvarez appeared confused and said he did not know what to do.”
Alvarez is the second firefighter in recent weeks to be charged with child sex abuse-related crimes.
A Multnomah County grand jury on April 16 returned a secret indictment charging longtime Portland firefighter Andrew Ligatich on three counts of encouraging child sex abuse in the first degree and two counts of using a child in display of sexually explicit content. Both are felonies.
Ligatich has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Subsequent documentation filed by Deputy District Attorney Mihnea Moga lays out the disturbing allegations more plainly.
Both the Portland Police Bureau and the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office launched separate investigations of Ligatich’s conduct based on cyber-tips they had received in 2025. Law enforcement say Ligatich uploaded child sex abuse material on the Kik platform and, in three separate conversations, discussed his desire to sexually abuse young girls with other Kik users.
According to court documents, Ligatich also uploaded photos of a 10-year old girl and asked other users to generate child sex abuse material using the images. He also tried to exchange photos of a 10-year old child with other users for images of their children, the DA’s Office writes, and that “it is implied from the context of the chat logs that those requests by Ligatich were met.”
While the prosecution argued that Ligatich should be kept in custody while awaiting his next court date because he presents a danger to the public, Ligatich’s attorneys argued he should be released. Judge Celia Howes sided with the defense and set bail at $150,000. Ligatich posted bail and was released on May 6—under conditions that include he have no access to the internet, immediately report to pre-trial services and stay either with his father in Estacada or a retired Portland firefighter in Estacada.
Nine current and former Portland firefighters wrote letters to the court in support of Ligatich’s pre-trial release.
“While I am not fully familiar with the details of the accusations against him, I have faith in the legal process and believe that, as the facts come to light, it will become clear that the situation may not be as it initially appears,” wrote firefighter Brian Stevens.
Ric Clappe, a retired Portland firefighter that worked with Ligatich’s dad for many years—also a retired Portland firefighter—wrote that he was a “Great kid and a great Father! We knew he would become a Brother! It was in his DNA!” and added that “I believe he is not and never will be a danger to a community!”
Retired firefighter Kirk Schaffer wrote that he and his wife took in Ligatich after he was first placed on administrative leave last year because of the investigation. They live on a small farm in Estacada.
“We turned him into a farmhand to try to keep him busy,” Schaffer wrote, “but in reality he has been a big help to us and we are hoping that can continue.”
