SAN JOSE, Calif. – 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.
The driver, 44-year-old Richard Tillman, is accused of deliberately crashing into the post office in the 6500 block of Crown Boulevard in the Almaden Valley section of San Jose, and then lighting the building on fire.
Richard Tillman makes first court appearance in Santa Clara County Superior Court on July 23, 2025.
Richard Tillman did not enter a plea at his hearing, and will appear in court on Aug. 15 for a competency hearing.
He is being held on $135,000 bail. During his hearing, he argued with his lawyer and waved at cameras present in the room.
Early morning arson
What we know:
Tillman, the brother of former NFL star Pat Tillman, was arrested at 3 a.m. on Sunday after allegedly crashing his car into the Almaden Valley post office and starting a fire that took more than 50 firefighters over 90 minutes to extinguish.
The charging documents state Tillman had bought “insta-logs” and lighter fluid at a nearby supermarket just hours before the collision. He is alleged to have then scattered the logs throughout his vehicle, doused them in lighter fluid, backed his vehicle into the post office and then lit the car on fire.
San Jose police officers responding to the scene reported seeing the words “VIVA LA ME” spray-painted on the outside of the building, and reported that evidence showed Tillman was responsible. He was also allegedly livestreaming the incident on YouTube from his cellphone, under the username “MepapasSon13.”
Family name
The backstory:
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 of 2004.
Tillman’s 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 near the crash site 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.
Tillman is being held at the Santa Clara County Jail.