Brother of NFL Hero Arrested After Fiery Crash into Post Office

Richard Tillman, the younger brother of NFL star-turned-Army Ranger Pat Tillman, was taken into custody early Sunday morning after allegedly crashing his vehicle into a post office in San Jose, California—an impact that ignited a blaze inside the building.

According to San Jose Police and NBC Bay Area, the crash occurred around 3 a.m. local time at a U.S. Post Office facility. When authorities arrived, they found a vehicle had driven into the building and caught fire, which then spread and caused structural damage.

Officers at the scene confirmed that the driver—identified as Richard Tillman—claimed to be the brother of Pat Tillman and reportedly told officers he was live-streaming the chaotic incident on social media as it unfolded.

Jail records from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office show Richard Tillman was booked on Sunday, though no formal charges have been publicly released. At this time, he has not been assigned a bail amount. His first court appearance is scheduled for July 23.

Authorities say the investigation is ongoing. The San Jose Police Department is coordinating with the San Jose Fire Department’s arson team as well as U.S. Postal Inspectors to determine who will take the lead on probing the cause of the fire.

Pat Tillman remains an iconic figure in American sports and military history. A standout safety for the Arizona Cardinals, he made headlines in 2002 when he left a multi-million-dollar NFL contract to enlist in the U.S. Army following the September 11 attacks. Tillman served several combat tours before he was tragically killed in Afghanistan in 2004. Though initially believed to have died by enemy fire, a later Pentagon investigation determined he was killed by friendly fire—a fact that was not disclosed to his family until years later.

Richard Tillman, who spoke publicly at his brother’s funeral in 2004, is now at the center of a very different story—one that authorities are still trying to piece together.