Yesterday, D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles sent out a press release announcing the recent closure of several District "massage parlors," "health spas," and "wrestling clubs" operating as a front for prostitution (or other illegal activities). "[A]s part of a city-wide crackdown on prostitution and other unlawful sexually-oriented activities, the District has shut down illegal establishments posing as health spas, massage establishments, social clubs or residential brothels," the release reads.

Sounds like it's about time to check back in with the guys over at the USASexGuide forums, our favorite community of dedicated prostitution enthusiasts. D.C.'s "mongers" eulogize these fallen houses of ill-repute, after the jump.

* Orange Spa, 617 Pennsylvania Ave. SE

Orange Spa's closing truly affected one former customer:

Visited Orange yesterday to find a sign posted on the door reading "Orange Spa Closed For Business"

Unfortunately this was after I pumped $2 into the parking machine. I will miss Chae.

* Star Spa, 1829 M St. NW

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A Star Spa regular is "pretty much hurt" by its closure:

I recently dropped by star spa were I went at once every month or two week period and it was closed. I was pretty much hurt because it was the only place I knew. Did they relocate? But I need to be taught the other places so I can know if the expreince I had there is on or sub par.

Another customer explains what the Star experience was like:

Got to the location at about 11:30am. I started up on the 3rd floor, greeted by a round woman in her 40s who led me to the room. I asked for a lineup, not expecting one, but hoping that at least she would get the hint that I didn't want her. She pleasantly says 'one minute' and leaves. A few minutes later another 40+ woman comes in – better figure, but still 40+. I again ask for lineup, and she says only 2 girls working right now because of football (??!), maybe around 5pm there will be more. I say OK, maybe I'll come back later.

I go down to 2nd floor (Star Spa?), hoping it will be better. Mamasan takes me to back, I ask for lineup, and in comes Angie. She's pretty stocky, flat tummy but wide hips and saggy breasts, about 35 years old, and not so pretty. But at this point I don't feel like spending the whole day doing the trial-and-error, so I say OK.

Paying money for sex is so hard.

* VIP Spa, 719 8th Street SE

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You can take the sex workers out of VIP, but you can't take them out of the inescapable cycle of human trafficking:

Went to VIP and Orange and sadly confirmed the news. Then I went to that same place our colleague went to, also had Ruby or 'Luby,' and recognized her from Orange. So, good talent stays in town!

. . . At least a couple of the girls that were last at VIP came from other local AMPs. So the idea that VIP would be a loss is not really an issue. These girls will move on to something else in the area. For some girls, once your in, it's hard to get out of the Washingtub.

* D.C. Wrestling Club, 1618 14th Street NW

The home of Dupont Circle's infamous "Men's Parties" has never been reviewed by the folks at USASexGuide.com. Why? House policy:

No Discussion about Homosexuals, Transvestites, Transsexuals or She-Males: Please do not post any messages anywhere on this site that refers to Homosexuals, Transvestites, Transsexuals or She-Males. This website is about sex between men who were always men and women who were always women. Any person violating this policy will banned immediately.

D.C. Wrestling Club photo by Darrow Montgomery

It's been over a month since a man died inside an underground sex club at 1618 14th Street NW. The club, operated by David J. Butler and the D.C. Wrestling Club, had been throwing near-nightly "Men's Parties" in Logan Circle for years. The party came to a halt on the morning of Oct. 4, when one reveler died of "blunt impact injury to the head" on the club's stairs.

Forty-five days later, the D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner says that the "manner of death" in the case—which determines whether a death came as a result of a homicide, suicide, accident, or some other cause—is still pending.

Today, D.C. police released a 911 call made from outside the sex club on the morning of Oct. 4. The call, which originated from one of the club's patrons, points to one possible contributing factor in the man's death—that party organizers allegedly hesitated to call an ambulance:

The full transcript of the call is after the jump.

Operator: D.C. Emergency 911 Dispatcher 6741. Police, Fire or Ambulance?

Caller: Ambulance.

Operator: To come where?

Caller: It’s um 14^th street, 1618 A. This guy fell down the steps at this after-hours club, and the guy’s, um, he doesn’t look like he’s breathing, and they won’t call the police, I mean, call the ambulance.

Operator: OK, repeat the address?

Caller: It’s 1618 A 14^th street.

Operator: 1618 14^th Street Building A?

Caller: Yeah it’s A. It’s um, it’s right on the corner of Corcoran and 14^th

Operator: Oh, it looks like someone already called the ambulance.

Caller: Okay, because he—he fell down—

Operator: They’re en route there, somebody already called.

Caller: Okay, because he fell down a while ago. How long ago did they call? Because he was laying there—

Operator: They called at 5:06.

Caller: Oh, okay. What time is it now?

Operator: It’s 5:10 now.

Caller: Okay, yeah. Because he fell before that, and I saw him. And I told them. I don’t know, I’m just upset about it, because it’s actually—it’s like an after-hours sex club—and they didn’t want to call the police, because he didn’t have any clothes on.

Operator: Okay. Look out for the police for him. I mean the ambulance.

Caller: I see them, I see them now, thank you.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery.

A sign on a nondescript building at the intersection of 14th and Corcoran Streets NW has no doubt caused its share of confusion. Here’s what it says: “‘D.C. Wrestling Club, Inc. remains open for business, however there will be no Men’s Parties until further notice.”

Passersby are now aware that the building has got wrestling, but no parties. What the hell does that mean?

As it turns out, only those steeped in the doings of the city’s Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) know what’s going on here. The cryptic sign fronts 1618 14th St. NW, the hosting address for something called “Men’s Parties,” a nightly anonymous-sex event that provided mattresses, glory holes, and snacks for a $14 “donation.” On Oct. 4, a reveler at one of those parties died after apparently falling down a set of stairs. The accident prompted the city to temporarily shut down the “Men’s Parties.”

For now, hard-up, often-closeted gay men are no longer slipping in and out of 1618 for no-questions-asked romps.

Quashing a clandestine sex club, however, doesn’t happen without some legal complications. For about 15 years, an organization called the D.C. Wrestling Club has served as the administrative front for Men’s Parties. At the time of the man’s death, the D.C. Wrestling Club was not open for business—its domestic nonprofit status had been revoked by the DCRA, a result of lapsed paperwork.

But in the meantime, the club refreshed its filing with the DCRA, reclaiming its (largely symbolic) corporation status. When the city secured its temporary restraining order against the D.C. Wrestling Club, it required club president David J. Butler to post that peculiar sign on the club’s front door.

The D.C. Wrestling Club has been restored, but it can no longer serve as a front for sexual activity. So what does a real “wrestling club” do?

According to the club’s 1994 articles of incorporation, the organization was meant to provide a “social club” for “sports enthusiasts, especially of collegiate wrestling.” An old online advertisement posted on a gay wrestling Web site expands on the club’s activities: “The DC Wrestling Club grapples Tuesdays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Sundays from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.,” it reads. The advertisement boasts one amenity: “New mats.” According to the ad, “all skill levels welcome,” but members must be over the age of 18. The style of play “ranges from rulebook, to submission, to slower paced back and forth workout…whatever two guys want to do.”

The “rulebook” technique sounds traditional enough. And “submission,” despite its sexual connotations, is also a form of wrestling that requires the loser to signal his defeat, verbally or physically, in order to end the match. But given the sport’s homoerotic potential, it wouldn’t be difficult for a private wrestling match to lead to “whatever,” and that’s where the line between the D.C. Wrestling Club and “Men’s Parties” becomes unclear.

The advertisement appeared on the Web site of Metro Wrestling, which bills itself as a “gay-friendly freestyle wrestling club for adults” based in New York. Metro Wrestling is big on wrestling, low on the whatever. Like the D.C. Wrestling Club, Metro Wrestling advertises biweekly practices—enough to ready its members for competition in such international contests as the Gay Games and Outgames. Brent Minor, who heads up the District’s gay sports teams for an organization called “Team DC,” says the District’s gay wrestling scene lacks a competitive arm. Team DC coordinates gay rock-climbing, cheerleading, and water polo teams, but Minor says that the D.C. area has “no real wrestling team to speak of.”

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

The signage helps "Men's Parties" come into compliance with yesterday's court order, which requires the club—and the nonprofit organization behind it, the "D.C. Wrestling Club"—to temporarily cease holding events, stop advertising, and post this sign five feet from the ground on the club's main entrance, with lettering no less than 1 inch tall.

Today, the District of Columbia secured a temporary restraining order against "Men's Parties," the underground sex club operating out of 1618 14th Street NW. The District filed suit against the owner of the property (1618 14th Street LLC), the club's manager (David J. Butler), and its nonprofit front organization (the D.C. Wrestling Club, Inc.) on Oct. 14.

For now, the D.C. Wrestling Club has been ordered to stop partying, stop advertising, and replace its purposefully nondescript business entrance with some interesting signage:

The party's over—temporarily. "Defendants DC Wrestling Club and David J. Butler may not operate or allow to be operated at 1618 14th Street NW Washington DC any business until such a time as they obtain from the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs a certificate of occupancy for such activity and all required licenses for any other legal business activity."

The weekly Washington Blade ad revenue is over, too. "Defendants must immediately cease promoting any services or events at the Property in any medium, including, but not limited to, newspaper, radio, television, or internet advertisements."

But the D.C. Wrestling Club is alive and well! "Defendants must immediately place a sign stating 'D.C. WRESTLING CLUB, INC. REMAINS OPEN FOR BUSINESS, HOWEVER THERE WILL BE NO MEN'S PARTIES UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE" on the front door of the property at 1618 14th Street NW, Washington, DC in a spot that is immediately visible to anyone who attempts to patronize the 'Men's Parties.'" According to the court order, "the lettering on the sign shall not be less than 1 inch tall and the sign shall be affixed directly to the door,5 feet from the bottom."

That last item contains an interesting little business development for the club. The D.C. Wrestling Club filed for domestic non-profit status with the DCRA in 1994. But last I checked with the agency, the club's charter had been involuntarily revoked sometime between 2004 and 2009. Now, the club again appears to be active. Nonprofit organizations (if they're legit) are required to make their tax forms publicly available. The tax forms would shine some light on the amount of "donations" the club has been reporting for tax purposes, and where the money has been going. I haven't been able to track any forms down yet, but now that I know that the club is back in business, I'll ask for some copies.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

On Wednesday, the District of Columbia filed suit to shut down "Men's Parties," the underground male sex club operating at 1618 14th Street NW. The lawsuit's three defendants—David J. Butler, 1618 14th Street LLC, and the D.C. Wrestling Club—face charges of "opperation of a business without a basic business license" and "use of premises for business without appropriate certificate of occupancy."

The initial documents in the case offer a glimpse into the club's secretive activities, as well as additional information concerning the fatal accident that occurred inside the club on the morning of October 4th.

According to court documents, D.C. police responded to the report of "an unconscious person at the address" at 5:18 a.m. Detective Thomas Smith, a former Prostitution Enforcement Unit cop, was called to the scene to investigate a potential homicide. During the course of the investigation, Smith met Butler, "who identified himself as the President of a private club, doing business as the D.C. Wrestling Club."

Butler told Smith that he hosts parties where "men come into the premises, make a donation, and socialize." By the time Smith entered the property, Butler was accompanied by "more than twenty patrons and staff." Three other staff members identified themselves to Smith, according to documents: Jerome Goodman, Juan Adams, and Ralph 'Jay' Rushing.

According to Smith's affidavit, the activities of the club were obvious: "Strewn throughout the entire location are used condoms, empty condom wrappers, paper towels, cloth towels and other indicia of frequent, non-discrete sexual behavior." What, no snacks?

The affidavit offered a full inventory of the club's amenities:

First Floor: "A lounge area immediately inside the front entrance" which includes "two sets of lockers" and couches. Also on the first floor, "separated by curtains, are three wooden stalls containg 'glory holes' used for sexual activity" The floor also contains a "powder room and a linen closet."

Second Floor: An additional "lounge area with several counches and a mounted television set" sits on the club's top floor. The second floor also yields a "kitchenette and full bathroom." Behind the lounge are "sexually-oriented materials" including a "sex swing, large wooden cross that permits an individual to be bound to the structure, and a bench." The second floor also includes a bedroom "reportedly belonging to Ralph 'Jay' Rushing," and another bench.

Basement: Two sets of stairs lead to this floor (the accident victim was found at the foot of one staircase). In the basement are"thirteen bed spaces separated by built-in wooden partitions and dark curtains," each containing a "mattress and trash can."

Yesterday, the District of Columbia filed suit against "Men's Parties," the underground male sex club located at 1618 14th Street NW. The club has operated for decades in Logan Circle the D.C. area—through fire, allegations of unsafe sexual conditions, and most recently, a member's death from an accidental head injury inside the club.

According to Erica Stanley, deputy communications director in the Mayor's Office, "The District of Columbia believes that the activities occurring at the property located at 1618 14^th Street, NW violate the laws of the District of Columbia in that an illegal business entity is operating at the premises. The District has filed a lawsuit to enjoin the business from continuing to operate."

The lawsuit, filed in D.C. Superior Court yesterday, has been filed against three parties:

David J. Butler, the organizer of Men's Parties;

D.C. Wrestling Club, a domestic nonprofit incorporated in 1994 in connection with the parties;

1618 14th Street NW LLC, a company listed at 9464 Newbridge Dr. in Potomac, Md., the home of Stephen and Pirjo Jaffe.

The original filing is listed as a "complaint for negligence"; a hearing on a temporary restraining order in the case is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 21.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

Early in the morning of Oct. 4, a member of a private Logan Circle “men’s social club” fell to his death. According to a D.C. police report, the 47-year-old man was discovered in the stairwell leading to the basement of 1618 14th St. NW, the victim of “blunt impact injury of head.” Police believe the man may have tumbled down the stairs; the organizer of the club told the Washington Blade that the man likely fell on a “cement floor,” where he “possibly hit his head on a metal pipe or a brick wall.”

The man’s injury was sustained during the regular activities of the club, which include nightly gay sex events called “Men’s Parties,” as well as meetings of the “Jack Off Enthusiasts of Washington and Baltimore.” The accident has drawn public scrutiny over the private meetings, as well as a defense: Following the death, the club’s organizer told police that his establishment provides “a safe place for gay men to have consensual sex.”

How does a club meant to provide a “safe place” end up hosting a member’s death? By working off a creative definition of “safe.”

At Men’s Parties, safety doesn’t mean ensuring that the apartment’s stairs, surfaces, and exposed metal pipes provide a secure sexual landscape for party attendees. It doesn’t even mean encouraging members to engage in protected sex. At 1618 14th St., “safe” means ensuring anonymous sex for a group of gay men sporting wedding rings, sensitive careers, or shame.

For a “men’s social club,” the regularly scheduled activities included little socializing. “There is very little to none, in terms of conversation,” says one visitor to the club, who says he has attended Men’s Parties over a dozen times in the past six years. “Everything is kept strictly anonymous. No one asks for phone numbers, and no one ever really leaves with someone else,” he says. “People come there, do their business, and leave.” The club reinforced the anonymity with a cover of darkness. “The steps leading down to the basement floor were very, very dark,” he says. “I think your eyes, under normal circumstances, could adjust. However, the place was still very dark and the steps were very steep.”

Unfortunately for Men’s Parties, police and city officials operate on a more traditional definition of “safety.” The man’s death marks the second major incident at the club to draw the scrutiny of the police, city officials, and neighbors. In 2005, a candle ignited a mattress in the building’s upper floor, causing $5,000 in damages and bringing fire officials inside the club. According to the Blade, the emergency response revealed an establishment with “exit signs, a reception desk, a row of gym lockers, and signs stating the hours the place was open”—but no certificate of occupancy or business licenses. In November of that year, five months following the fire, ads for the parties read: “We are expecting to move soon. Please call for more information.”

But the most heated safety concerns surrounding the Men’s Parties lie outside the scope of city regulation. According to the frequent visitor to the club, “The most dangerous condition there was the lack of condoms.…There are no bowls of condoms upstairs or downstairs, where most of the sex takes place,” he says. “To me, this was always a recipe for disaster.”

At first, Men’s Parties attempted to weather the unwelcome scrutiny of police, city officials, and neighbors. The evening following the death, the club had reopened for business. On Oct. 9, a regular half-page ad ran in the back pages of the Blade, inviting readers to come “socialize.” The same issue contained a news item on the man’s death. But within a week of the incident, the club had shuttered under the weight of exposure. The front gate, typically left ajar to signal that the party is on, had been locked. A message left on the advertised phone number now informs callers, “We are temporarily closed until further notice.”

A typical advertisement in the Washington Blade.

For years, the club had thrived under a thin cover: organized snacking. In an interview with NBC 4, self-identified “volunteer” Skip Miller described the activities of the club: “We have videos. We have sodas. We have snacks,” he said. In a Logan Circle ANC meeting addressing the death, 3rd District police Lieutenant Vanessa Moore said that the head of the club “does not take money per se. He does take donations for chips, dips, and soda. And we’ll leave it at that.”

Club memberships were easy to come by. All you had to do was show up at 1618 14th St. and provide a donation at the door. The club received plenty of donations in recent years, thanks to the shuttering of gay clubs displaced by Nationals Park. As the city’s above-board clubs struggled to secure properties and licenses in new neighborhoods, Men’s Parties reaped the benefits of their closures, under the table, courting business with ads that read: “The spirit of Southeast lives on.” That spirit included a little bit more than light snacking. “No one pays $12 to eat stale pretzels and off-label lemon lime soda,” the visitor says. “The snacks are placed in large communal bowls and grabbed by hands that have been up asses.” The club’s main activity required little overhead. “Many are having bareback sex, but some are only masturbating or receiving oral sex,” he says.

Twelve dollars may be a bit pricey for stale pretzels, but it’s a small price to pay for anonymity. And no one has benefited from the club’s secrecy more than its organizers. In a 2005 item on the fire, the Blade declined to print the organizer’s name because “he is not openly gay at his regular place of work.” The Oct. 4 death prompted the Blade to get a little bit more specific: “The organizer of the men’s parties…asked that he be identified only as David.” Even the run-down conditions of the club may have benefited the organizers. “A lot of people, gay and straight, don’t know the place exists,” says the partygoer. “Among those that do, there is such shame attached to go to the place—not because of the sex, but because it is so dirty, grimy, smelly—that most don’t talk about it openly.”

Records show that David J. Butler incorporated a domestic nonprofit called the “D.C. Wrestling Club” at his Foggy Bottom apartment in 1994. The club’s members were described as “sports enthusiasts, especially of collegiate wrestling.” Butler, 68, is listed as the club’s president, treasurer, and registered agent. The club’s secretary, Robert D. Meza, listed his residence as 1618 14th St. NW. For a time, the incorporation lent an air of legitimacy to party organizers and provided an easy explanation for donation cash flow. The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs has since revoked the Wrestling Club’s corporation status.

Butler did not return several messages left at the club’s advertised number, nor did he respond to a note left at his Foggy Bottom residence. Knocks at 1618 14th St. were unanswered.

If Men’s Parties remains closed, its clientele may be left without a place to meet up. Communication among this crowd of anonymous sex seekers, after all, has always been a bit awkward. Several years ago, a flier appeared in the neighborhood that read: “If you had sex with Skip at Men Party 1618 14th St You need to get tested HIV.”

UPDATE: District of Columbia files lawsuit against Men's Parties

D.C. Police Describe Men's Parties Location: Used Condoms, Glory Holes, and a Crucifix

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

On Sunday, Oct. 4, a man was found dead inside an apartment at 1618 14th Street NW, the victim of an apparent “blunt impact injury to the head.” No foul play is suspected in the man's death, but the incident has raised questions about what else goes on at 1618 14th Street, a location known for hosting "Men's Parties" and meetings of the "Jack Off Enthusiasts Club." What exactly happens at a "Men's Party"? Apparently, lots of eating.

NBC 4 posed the "Men's Parties" question to Skip Miller, a man who claims to "volunteer" at the social club three times a week. "A men’s social club . . . it’s just that," Miller told NBC 4. "People come in. We have videos, we have sodas, we have snacks.”

And at an ANC meeting earlier this week, Lieutenant Vanessa Moore of D.C. police's 3rd District said that the club organizer told her that "he does not collect money per se, but he does take donations for chips, dips, and soda."

So, if this whole club is really about "snacks": How are the snacks?

According to one commenter on the City Paper Web site, they're not so hot. "The snacks I mentioned . . . are store-brand Doritos and stale pretzels," he wrote. "Nothing to get excited about, but certainly a perk to help forget about the pain of being fabulous."

A police report has been filed in the weekend death of a man at a Logan Circle sex club known for hosting "Men's Parties" and meetings of the "Jack Off Enthusiasts Club." The report was taken on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 5:26 a.m. In the report, the sex club, located at 1618 14th Street NW, is listed as a "tavern/night club." The exact location of the death is listed as a "basement/laundry room" and "stairwell." The narrative section of the report details the emergency response to a report of a man in "an unconscious condition" inside the apartment:

On the listed date and time, [the reporting person] reports that he discovered [the victim] in an unconscious condition inside of the listed location. District of Columbia Ambulance #21 responded to the scene and discovered that [the victim] had no signs of life. [The victim] was pronounced dead on the scene by (OCMI) Mli Mack on October 4, 2009, at 0835 hours. District of Columbia medical examiner's cruiser #5 responded to the scene and transported C-1 to the District of Columbia Medical Examiner's Office. On the scene: Det. Smith (homicide), homicide squad #3, Commander McCoy (CR.28), Watch Commander Lt. J. Monk (CR.300), Officer R. Nitz (Mobile Crime)

I have a call out to the 3rd District to account for the three-hour difference between the time the report was taken (5:26 a.m.) and the time the man was pronounced dead (8:35 a.m.).

Yesterday, Lieutenant Vanessa Moore said that the victim may have broken his neck following a fall down the stairs. Today, Beverly Fields, spokesperson for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, said that the victim's cause of death is listed as "blunt impact injury to the head." The exact "manner of death" and a toxicology report on the victim are still pending.

PREVIOUSLY:

Death at Logan Circle Men's Party Apartment

"Men's Party" Sex Club Victim May Have Broken Neck

At tonight's ANC 2F meeting, 3rd District Lieutenant Vanessa Moore provided some details into the police investigation of Sunday's sex club death at 1618 14th Street NW. The building has long been known for hosting a late-night sex party called "Men's Parties" as well as meetings of the "Jack Off Enthusiasts Club." Last Sunday, a man was reported dead inside the building.

The victim, who was found at the bottom of a stairwell in the building's basement, was discovered in the early morning hours of Oct. 4. Moore described the victim as a 47-year-old white male. Police now think the man suffered from a "possible broken neck" that may have resulted from a fall down the stairs.

"This remains a death report, not a homicide," Moore clarified. But the death has again drawn D.C. police attention to the sex club at 1618 14th Street, which drew city scrutiny in 2005 when a fire broke out at the location. Four years later, Moore says D.C. police are working with the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs to attempt to close the club. "I know he does not have any license at that location," Moore said. "We're looking for ways to shut him down."

Moore said that to her knowledge, the club is "not operating right now," though neighbors present at the meeting challenged that assertion. (Borderstan reported yesterday that the joint appeared open for business). Moore added that the sex club's manager had stated, in his defense, that he "provides a safe place for men to have consensual sex." But it's still unclear as to whether or not unsafe building conditions contributed to the man's death. Moore was not on-scene at the time of the incident, but she had been told the place was outfitted with "sex toys" and that the stairs were "steep."

She also heard tell of snacks. "He said he doesn't collect money," Moore said. "But he said he does collect donations for chips, dips, and soda. And we'll leave it at that."

A man died over the weekend in a Logan Circle apartment known for holding late-night "Men's Parties," Borderstan reports. The death was reported to have occurred inside 1618A 14th Street NW (shown in map above).

Details of the man's death—including the cause of death and the name of the deceased—remain unclear, but Acting Sgt. Kenny Bryson of the Metropolitan Police Department's public information office confirms that the death occurred sometime "Saturday night or Sunday morning" and that it did not appear to be a homicide.

"At this point there doesn’t appear to be any foul play, nothing of criminal intent," says Bryson. And as long as the death doesn't spark a criminal investigation, it's likely that the man's name will not be released by D.C. police. "We generally don’t list an outside death that doesn’t have any criminal intent," he says. "With criminal investigations, we'll do that, but the name is never released publicly until next of kin is notified."

A 2005 Metro Weekly story on a fire at the same address reported the apartment regularly hosted late-night "Men's Parties" and meetings of the "Jack Off Enthusiasts of Washington and Baltimore" (The number listed with the Jack Off club is now invalid; a call to a number listed with the apartment building has not been returned). Also unclear is whether this man was attending a party at the residence, or was in the building for a separate reason.

If you have any information on the incident or the locale, let me know. Commenters over at Borderstan have got their own theories.