Before alleged Bay Area post office crash, brother of Pat Tillman documented own unraveling online

San Francisco Chronicle​

4 days ago

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.