On the night of June 28th, 2025, Newberg-Dundee police officers and the Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue responded to a fire in the 1300 block of Villa Road. This location is a historic train trestle, and upon arrival, officers found the trestle fully engulfed in flames. Detectives from the Newberg-Dundee Police Department began an investigation and learned that a storage shed located on the property of the Northwest Christian Church was burglarized the same evening of the fire on the trestle. During the burglary, the suspects stole a gas canister and moved a riding lawn mower around the church parking lot. Additionally, detectives found damage to property, including a vehicle owned by the church.

Through citizen tips and a thorough and lengthy investigation, detectives identified two juvenile suspects. Detectives learned the two juveniles broke into the storage shed at the church and used the gas canister to start a fire near the train trestle. The fire resulted in the total loss of the trestle, with estimated repair costs totaling $260,000. Upon contact by detectives, both juvenile suspects cooperated with the investigation. They were arrested on multiple crimes related to this incident and on September 4^th, 2025, lodged at the Yamhill County Juvenile Detention Center in McMinnville. Their names will not be released because they are minors.

The Newberg-Dundee Police Department would like to thank TVF&R, Oregon State Police Arson Unit investigators, the Washington County Sheriff's Office Forensics Team, the FBI, and ATF for their assistance in this investigation. We also thank the City of Newberg's Public Works department, which worked hard in the days following the fire to clean up the area around the trestle, allowing the road to reopen for both vehicle and pedestrian traffic. 

Photo Credit:  Newberg Resident Corey Fotre

(Original Release)