Brother of Pat Tillman arrested in fiery post office crash, police say
July 21 (UPI) -- A suspect, accused of deliberately driving a car into a California post office and starting a fire Sunday morning, is reported to be the brother of late NFL player and U.S. Army ranger Pat Tillman, according to federal postal investigators.
Authorities said they arrested Richard Tillman, 44, after a car hit the front of the Almaden Valley post office in San Jose around 3 a.m. PDT.
"Early this morning, SJFD firefighters responded to a fire at the Post Office on the 6500 block of Crown Blvd in south San Jose," the fire department wrote in a post on X. "Second alarm response with 50 personnel on the scene. Defensive operations. No injuries reported. Cause is under investigation."
Early this morning, #SJFD firefighters responded to a fire at the Post Office on the 6500 block of Crown Blvd in south SJ. Second alarm response with ~50 personnel on scene. Defensive operations. No injuries reported. Cause is under investigation.
TOC: 2:58am; Knockdown: 4:31am. pic.twitter.com/Cy7PBWMcsz— San José Fire Dept. (@SJFD) July 20, 2025
U.S. Postal Inspector Matthew Norfleet said investigators believe the fire, which caused extensive damage, was an intentional act.
"We're definitely investigating it as possibly an intentional act, so driving the vehicle into the building and then starting the fire can't be ruled out as having been done on purpose," Norfleet said.
Pat Tillman was a former Arizona Cardinals player who left the NFL to enlist with the U.S. Army following the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001. He was killed by friendly fire while serving in Afghanistan three years later.
Richard Tillman is being held without bond at the Santa Clara County Jail and is scheduled to be in court Wednesday. His family issued a statement, saying he has been "battling severe mental health issues" for years.
"We have limited information at this time but we are in communication with local authorities and are providing as much background and context as we can," read the statement, signed by Kevin Tillman and obtained by KTVU.
"To be clear, it's no secret that Richard has been battling severe mental health issues for many years," he added. "Unfortunately, securing the proper care and support for him has proven incredibly difficult -- or rather, impossible."
According to investigators, there "may be video broadcasts related to this event" as the driver may have live-streamed the crash. Spray-painted words were also found on the post office building that read, "Viva La Me."
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