Latest news with #RichardTillman
Toronto Sun
4 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Brother of late NFL star Pat Tillman arrested after fiery post office crash
Published Jul 21, 2025 • 2 minute read Former Arizona State player Pat Tillman's wife Marie Tillman, centre, and his brother Richard Tillman, left, applaud as they watch Pat's name and jersey number enshrined in the university's ring of honor during halftime ceremonies between Washington State and Arizona State, Nov. 13, 2004, in Tempe, Ariz. Photo by Paul Connors / AP Photo SAN JOSE, Calif. — The brother of late NFL star-turned-soldier Pat Tillman was arrested in connection with fiery car crash at a San Jose, Calif., post office over the weekend, the family confirmed in a statement Monday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Richard Tillman, 44, of San Jose was arrested after the car rammed into the office located in a strip mall around 3 a.m. Sunday, causing the building to go up in flames, San Jose police said. No injuries were reported. The incident is being investigated as a 'potentially intentional act,' U.S. Postal Inspector Michael Martel said in an email Monday. There was no information about a possible motive. About 50 firefighters took about 90 minutes to knock down the flames at the Almaden Valley Station Post Office south of downtown. Photos posted online by the fire department showed a charred vehicle inside the heavily damaged one-storey building. Tillman was booked on suspicion of arson. He was held in lieu of $60,000 bail and was scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, according to online custody records. A phone number could not be located for Tillman. Messages were sent to the Santa Clara County District Attorney asking if he has an attorney. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. His brother Kevin Tillman shared a statement from the family who said they were relieved no one was hurt. 'To be clear, it's no secret that Richard has been battling severe mental-health issues for many years,' the family said. 'He has been livestreaming, what I'll call, his altered self on social media for anyone to witness. Unfortunately, securing the proper care and support for him has proven incredibly difficult — or rather, impossible. As a result, none of this is as shocking as it should be.' The family said they had limited information but were in communication with local authorities. Pat Tillman left the Arizona Cardinals to join the military after 9/11 and was killed in Afghanistan in 2004 at age 27. His family is from the San Jose area. Kevin Tillman also left his Major League Baseball career with the Anaheim Angels to serve in the military. Richard Tillman was largely out of the public eye in the years following his brother's death. Nearly 2 million people live in the metropolitan area of San Jose, about 80 km south of downtown San Francisco. Celebrity Canada Columnists Canada Toronto & GTA
UPI
4 hours ago
- UPI
Brother of Pat Tillman arrested in fiery post office crash, police say
1 of 2 | An Army fan holds a jersey of former Arizona Cardinals linebacker and U.S. Army Rangers Pat Tillman, who gave up his football career to serve in Afghanistan before being killed by friendly fire in 2004. File Photo by John Anderson/UPI | License Photo 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. 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."
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Disturbing update on Pat Tillman's brother after arrest for crashing car into a post office
The brother of late NFL star and U.S. army ranger Pat Tillman had been struggling with 'severe mental health issues' before his arrest at the weekend, his family have said. Richard Tillman was taken into custody by cops in San Jose, California on Sunday after allegedly drivng his car into a post office and causing a huge blaze. He is being held on $60,000 bail. Kevin Tillman, his brother, has outlined how Richard had been struggling for 'many years' before Sunday's incident. He told NBC Bay Area: 'To be clear, it's no secret that Richard has been battling severe mental health issues for many years. He has been livestreaming, what I'll call, his altered self on social media for anyone to witness. 'Unfortunately, securing the proper care and support for him has proven incredibly difficult - or rather, impossible. 'As a result, none of this is as shocking as it should be.' A car, allegedly driven by Richard Tillman, crashed into a post office in San Jose Officers reportedly discovered a burning vehicle crashed into the post office on the 6500 block of Crown Boulevard at around 3am. The fire spread to the rest of the building, although no injuries were reported. Pat Tillman famously abandoned his NFL career to join the US Army at the onset of then-President George W. Bush's War on Terror in 2002. After deployments in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Tillman was killed in a friendly fire incident in April of 2004 near the Pakistan border at the age of 27.
San Francisco Chronicle
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Before alleged Bay Area post office crash, brother of Pat Tillman documented own unraveling online
Just days before Richard Tillman, brother of the former NFL star and fallen Army Ranger Pat Tillman, allegedly crashed his car into a San Jose post office, he said in a rambling 11-minute YouTube video that he was going to 'take down the system,' including the U.S. government. 'What I need to do is absolutely prove who I am and I will do that,' said Tillman, referring to himself as Yeshua, the Hebrew name for Jesus, and the son of God. 'As far as the next phase of the game, I know what needs to be done.' The cryptic video was among dozens that Tillman, a 44-year-old San Jose resident, posted in recent months documenting his own apparent unraveling. The videos, other social media posts and public records reviewed by the Chronicle show a record of legal trouble, mental health issues and isolation from friends and family in recent years. Tillman was arrested early Sunday after allegedly crashing into the Almaden Valley post office, sparking a fire that caused significant damage. His YouTube channel, which had 1,700 subscribers, was taken down after the incident. It was not immediately clear Tillman's remarks in the video posted last week were directly connected to the alleged post office crash. In the latest video, which has since been removed, Tillman recorded himself talking from inside a parked vehicle as traffic cruised past his window. He wore sunglasses and sported a long beard streaked with gray. He spoke about the 'spiritual realm,' ascension and making the planet evolve, while referring to Richard Tillman in the third person and laughing between bizarre statements. 'I'm not going to harm anyone physically, so there's nothing to worry about,' Tillman said. 'You guys will find out what I'm laughing about one day.' Richard Tillman is the younger brother of Pat Tillman, who left the Arizona Cardinals football team to serve in the U.S. Army after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire in 2004 during a chaotic firefight in his platoon while on duty in Afghanistan. Richard Tillman has pursued careers in acting and stand-up comedy. He also wrote a children's book series in 2015 meant to teach kindness and empathy. In 2019, his wife filed for divorce, which turned into a protracted and contentious legal battle, according to Fresno County records. The couple had two children. At one point during the divorce, a hearing was delayed because Tillman was 'in a mental health facility,' according to court records. A judge granted a temporary restraining order against Tillman to protect his ex-wife, records show. The court gave the wife sole custody of their children in 2021 and granted weekly supervised visits for Tillman. The judge also ordered Tillman to attend counseling for a year after finding that it 'would be in the child's best interest,' records show. Several Facebook posts suggest that Tillman became antagonistic toward friends and family members in recent months and years, even as they offered to assist Tillman in getting mental health treatment. 'I'm here to end you…And all your worthless friends,' Tillman apparently wrote in a message to a family member, according to a screenshot of the exchange he posted on Facebook earlier this year. In the crash on Sunday, fifty personnel from the San Jose Fire Department responded to the post office on the 6500 block of Crown Boulevard shortly before 3 a.m. Sunday and extinguished the fire within two hours, according to the agency. There were no injuries reported. Tillman was arrested at the scene on suspicion of arson and booked into Santa Clara County Jail. He remained in custody as of Monday morning on $60,000 bail, according to county records. It was not the first time Tillman had faced criminal charges. Fresno County court records show that Tillman racked up a series of misdemeanor charges starting in 2023, including for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol, trespassing and twice disobeying a domestic relations court order. Judges issued warrants for his arrest in each case because he failed to appear in court, records show. Before that, local court filings indicate, his record included only a traffic infraction in 2015.
NBC News
7 hours ago
- NBC News
Brother of late NFL player turned war hero Pat Tillman jailed in California post office crash
The family of NFL player turned war hero Pat Tillman on Monday acknowledged that the athlete's brother, Richard Tillman, was arrested for allegedly driving into a California post office Sunday. No one was injured in the 2:30 a.m. collision in San Jose, but it damaged the building and may have resulted in some destroyed mail, San Jose Fire Battalion Chief Josh Staley said. Richard Tillman, 44, a San Jose resident, was being held in lieu of $60,000 bail following his arrest Sunday, according to Santa Clara County inmate records. San Jose police said he was arrested on suspicion of arson. Fire officials said the collision appeared to have sparked a blaze at the post office that was knocked down about 90 minutes after the first reports of the crash. In a statement to NBC Bay Area, sent on behalf of the Tillman family, brother Kevin Tillman acknowledged the suspect is his sibling Richard Tillman. The statement expressed relief that no one was injured and said Richard Tillman had been suffering from mental health problems. "To be clear, it's no secret that Richard has been battling severe mental health issues for many years," Kevin Tillman said, noting that his brother's issues have been on display "for anyone to witness" via his livestreams. "Unfortunately, securing the proper care and support for him has proven incredibly difficult — or rather, impossible," Kevin Tillman said. "As a result, none of this is as shocking as it should be." Richard Tillman was scheduled to be in court for the matter on Wednesday. It's not clear if he has retained legal counsel for the case. The Pat Tillman Foundation did not respond to requests for comment. Last week, Los Angeles Fire Department firefighter David Walters and firefighter-paramedic Erin Regan accepted the Pat Tillman Award for Service at ESPN's 2025 ESPYS at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Months after the attacks of 9/11, Pat Tillman put his successful NFL career as a safety with the Arizona Cardinals on hold to enlist in the U.S. Army with Kevin Tillman, a move that made national news. Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire on the night of April 22, 2004, amid his efforts to provide cover as fellow Army Rangers in eastern Afghanistan were being ambushed. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star. He is widely hailed as example of public service and sacrifice for the United States in the 21st century.
