Tillman makes first federal court appearance in San Jose post office fire, vandalism
Tillman makes first court appearance, faces arson charges
The driver of a car that crashed into the Almaden Valley Post Office on Sunday appeared in court Wednesday morning to face charges of arson and vandalism.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Richard Tillman, the brother of the famed NFL player, made his first federal court appearance Wednesday in connection to a destructive fire at a San Jose post office earlier this month.
Tillman is accused of deliberately crashing his car into an Alamaden Valley post office on July 20 around 3 a.m. and lighting the building on fire. The 44-year-old is facing charges of arson and vandalism in Santa Clara County.
The suspect, who is the brother of the late NFL star Pat Tillman, is facing a single federal charge of malicious destruction by fire of a U.S. post office.
He made his court appearance Wednesday at a federal district court in San Jose.
Prosecutors allege Richard Tillman bought fireplace "instalogs" and lighter fluid before the fire. They say he then scattered the logs throughout his vehicle and covered them with lighter fluid, before backing his car into the post office and lighting it on fire.
After lighting the fire, the U.S. Attorney's Office says Richard Tillman began spray-painting the phrase "Viva La Me" on the building. He was unable to finish the graffiti due to the heat from the fire, prosecutors say.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Richard Tillman allegedly told responding officers that he set the fire "to make a statement to the U.S. government." The suspect also said that he livestreamed the events on YouTube.
The suspect is now being held in federal custody. He's expected to make his next federal court appearance on Aug. 6.
Last week, the 44-year-old suspect made his first appearance in Santa Clara County court, where he did not enter a plea.
He is scheduled for a competency hearing in Santa Clara County in August.
The Santa Clara County charging documents detail a similar series of events that occurred in the early morning of July 20 – including his alleged purchase of lighter fluid and "instalogs."
More than 50 firefighters responded to the fire and it took over 90 minutes to extinguish, KTVU reported last week.
Richard Tillman makes first court appearance in Santa Clara County Superior Court on July 23, 2025.
Tillman family
Richard Tillman is the younger brother of former NFL star Pat Tillman, who left the Arizona Cardinals in 2002 to enlist in the army, following 9/11. The older Tillman was killed by friendly fire in April 2004.
The Tillman family released a statement following his arrest.
"Our family is aware that my brother Richard has been arrested. First and foremost, we are relieved that no one was physically harmed," read the statement signed by Kevin Tillman.
"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. 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 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. We have nothing further to add at this time," the statement read.
Investigators found a pile of belongings outside the post office, including a box containing a black-and-white photo of Pat Tillman in his football uniform.
Following the incident, the U.S. Postal Service announced that the post office location will be temporarily closed, and mail operations will be transferred to the Willow Glen Post Office.
San Jose Post Office arson suspect reportedly brother of Pat Tillman
Richard Tillman was arrested after allegedly crashing a car into a San Jose post office and starting a fire, which is now under investigation as possible arson.