The brother of late NFL player-turned-soldier Pat Tillman has been arrested after a car crash ignited a fire at a San Jose post office. Police say the car rammed into the building early Sunday, causing significant damage but no injuries. Authorities are investigating the incident as a possible intentional act. Richard Tillman faces arson charges and remains in custody with bail set at $60,000. Messages were sent to the Santa Clara County District Attorney asking if he has an attorney. His family released a statement Monday, expressing relief that no one was hurt.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — The brother of late NFL star-turned-soldier Pat Tillman was arrested in connection with fiery car crash at a San Jose, California, post office over the weekend, the family confirmed in a statement Monday.
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 an hour and a half 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-story 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.
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 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of downtown San Francisco.
