Oregon Firefighter Charged After Child Exploitation Uploads Traced to Fire Station IP Address
A firefighter with Portland Fire & Rescue has been charged after investigators traced uploads of child sexual abuse material to an IP address assigned to a Portland fire station. The investigation began after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a report from an online platform concerning illegal content uploads.
Detectives with the Portland Police Bureau’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit reviewed the report on August 26, 2025, identified multiple related accounts, and traced associated IP activity to a Portland fire station. Investigators ultimately identified firefighter Andrew J. Ligatich, 43, as the person connected to the accounts.
On April 20, 2026, Ligatich turned himself in and was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center. He was charged with three counts of first-degree Encouraging Child Sex Abuse and two counts of Using a Child in a Display of Sexually Explicit Conduct.
The Willamette Week reported that a Multnomah County grand jury returned an indictment on April 16 alleging that on March 25, 2025, and June 24, 2025, Ligatich “did unlawfully and intentionally attempt to record in a visual recording, a child participating and engaging in sexually explicit conduct.”
Portland Fire & Rescue said it was first notified on July 8, 2025 that one of its employees was under investigation. The bureau placed Ligatich on paid administrative leave that same day. A bureau spokesperson later stated that, based on the grand jury indictment, the City placed him on unpaid leave retroactive to April 17, 2026.
Police said no further details are being released at this time, but asked anyone with information related to the investigation to contact detectives.
