Aaron Hernandez's brother arrested after allegedly throwing brick at ESPN building
Aaron Hernandez's older brother, Dennis "D.J." Hernandez, was arrested in Bristol, Connecticut, this past Thursday after he allegedly threw a brick at an ESPN building, according to multiple reports and confirmed by Bristol police.
Hernandez, 36, was charged with second-degree breach of the peace — a misdemeanor — on March 23 at 2:53 p.m. E.T., according to arrest records. The incident occurred after police were asked to perform a welfare check on Hernandez, according to police documents obtained by TMZ. Hernandez allegedly took an Uber to ESPN's headquarters in Bristol and threw what police later found to be a white plastic bag with a large brick inside and a handwritten note attached to it.
"To all media outlets," the note allegedly read. "It's about time you all realeyes [sic] the affect media has on all family members. Since you're a world wide leader maybe you could lead how media and messages are delivered brick by brick. Clean it up!
"Yours truly, Dennis J. Hernandez."
Hernandez reportedly admitted to being at EPSN and was released by police. His court date is set for April 4 at 9 a.m. ET. Hernandez was reportedly told he would be arrested for trespassing if he returned to ESPN's campus.
ESPN's vice president of communications Mike Soltys confirmed the TMZ report.
“We are cooperating with Bristol police on the investigation,” he said, via The Bristol Press.
This wasn't Hernandez's first run-in with Connecticut police this month. He was also arrested on March 8 and charged with five motor vehicle-related crimes, according to police records, including reckless driving and engaging police in pursuit.
Hernandez was reportedly driving erratically around Cheshire, Connecticut, according to police documents obtained by TMZ, before police were able to apprehend him. Hernandez was released on a $5,000 bond. The court date for this incident is set for April 13, per WFSB.
These incidents occurred almost 10 years after Aaron Hernandez, the former New England Patriots tight end, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and almost six years after Hernandez committed suicide while in prison. D.J. Hernandez later released a book under the name Jonathan Hernandez (his middle name), titled "The Truth About Aaron: My Journey to Understand My Brother" in 2018.
Both Hernandez brothers went to high school in Bristol. While Aaron played college football at Florida, D.J. played at UConn for four years from 2004-07 as a quarterback and wide receiver.
