A man faces criminal charges after he dug up part of the hillside of a wooded Seattle park with a stolen excavator and then built a cabin where he has been living for several months.
Steven Irwin, 41, has caused $15,000 worth of damage to foliage that the city Parks Department has repaired, but the man has now built a cabin to live in and plans to build a mine to search for gold underground.
Irwin claims he “had permission” to build a cabin in Dr. José Rizal Park in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood.
The unit competes with several generators, fireplaces, propane heaters, a washing machine, and even a treadmill.
Steven Irwin, who is homeless, faces criminal charges for digging up parts of the hillside of a Seattle city park with an excavator and then building a cabin.
Irwin claims he had permission to build a cabin in Dr. José Rizal Park in Seattle and used an excavator to do it.
The tent structure has since been converted into something more semi-permanent and a cabin has been built.
The cabin is equipped with a generator, fireplace, propane heaters, washing machine, and treadmill.
The ‘cabin’ appears to have all kinds of appliances, including a washer/dryer.
Park managers and neighbors are concerned about the safety and environmental impact of Irwin’s activities.
Andrea Suarez of We Heart Seattle, a homeless outreach group that offers assistance to Irwin, has expressed concern about the potential dangers present at the camp, citing the presence of kerosene, propane and gasoline.
“He’s digging into the hillsides, building structures, taking down trees, undoing thousands of dollars in repairs,” Suárez told KOMO.
‘There is also a risk for him being in that environment. There is the smell of kerosene, propane and gasoline; There are three different forms of fuel down here, wires everywhere. It’s a ticking time bomb.
Suarez even offered to cover Irwin’s first six months of accommodation, but he has insisted on keeping his cabin in the woods.
When the group searched their makeshift camp, they found chainsaws, five pounds of marijuana, methamphetamines and a dozen stolen credit cards.
It appears that Irwin has not faced any consequences despite cutting down trees on the park’s hillside.
Irwin can be seen carrying a couple of bags as he climbs onto the excavator he stole.
In October 2023, Irwin was arrested but quickly released, allowing him to return to the park.
Police are seen at the scene during Irwin’s arrest in October 2023.
Police are seen driving through the park to reach Irwin’s camp.
Pictured is Andrea Suárez of We Heart Seattle, a grassroots community group dedicated to cleaning up the city park.
His claims about a possible gold mine at the site have been met with skepticism.
“He is dreaming that this is a gold mine, that he is extracting diamonds and that he is going to find gold and get rich,” Suárez said.
Irwin was arrested in October for driving a bulldozer into a grove of trees to clear space for his cabin. The police arrested him, took him to jail and then released him.
Images from the time show felled trees and tire tracks on the ground.
“I ran into him on my way home,” said park manager Genevieve Courtney. Fox 13.
“He was going a little crazy with this heavy machinery. I called 911 and they said, ‘Do you have a gun?’ I say, ‘Yeah, it has a backhoe.’ That’s a weapon.”
Irwin’s camp can be seen in the woods of Dr. José Rizal Park in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood.
Irwin’s cabin can be seen in images from earlier this month.
Irwin seems quite settled into the camp with clothes hanging along a fence.
The structure appears to have a semi-permanent feel with wooden logs as walls.
All sorts of junk can be seen among Irwin’s possessions, including a generator.
Police officers may be heading toward Irwin’s cabin in the woods.
Irwin is seen during his arrest in October 2023 when the Seattle City Attorney’s Office charged him with destruction of property, theft of a motor vehicle, and possession of auto theft tools.
“It’s scary to see someone with a big bulldozer going through the park, and the situation could have been a lot worse,” Courtney said.
But the experience appears to have done little to deter him and Irwin is now using power tools to remove more foliage from the park.
“There was significant damage to brush, vegetation and pieces of fence where the suspect drove the excavator from the street into the valley, and Irwin told me he obtained permission from construction workers to use the excavator to build a new house,” a Seattle police officer wrote in a report at the time.
Irwin was charged with destruction of property, theft of a motor vehicle and possession of auto theft tools by the Seattle City Attorney’s Office.
Calls continue for some form of intervention by police and the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department, with concerns about safety, environmental impact, and the need for a resolution to the ongoing issues raised by Irwin’s activities.
‘This guy is just getting away with it and I don’t understand it. We are absolutely frustrated. “We need some civility here, we need police action,” said Brian Hartman, a neighbor.
“For someone to have the nerve to take equipment of this value and destroy our urban forest makes you question everything,” Suárez said.
‘Why are we here in the first place? Why has Seattle become a playground without rules?