Troubled 'Silicon Valley' actor T.J. Miller arrested for bizarre fake bomb threat
T.J. Miller touched down at LaGuardia Airport in New York City on Monday and was promptly arrested.
According to a press release from the U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut, the actor best known for his role in Silicon Valley, before he was cut from Season 5 due to allegations of unprofessional behavior, called in a false bomb threat while traveling on an Amtrak train on March 18. The 36-year-old has been charged by federal criminal complaint with “intentionally conveying to law enforcement false information about an explosive device on a train traveling to Connecticut.”
Miller appeared before a district judge in New Haven on Tuesday and was released on a $100,000 bond. The charge against him carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.
According to the complaint, Miller called a 911 dispatcher in New Jersey and reported that he was on Amtrak train 2256 traveling from Washington, D.C., to Penn Station in New York City, and a female passenger had a bomb in her bag. Miller described the woman, saying she had brown hair and a scarf. Investigators stopped the train as it continued on its northeast route in Westport, Conn. Passengers had to detrain, and a bomb squad was brought in, but there was no evidence of any explosive device or materials.
Investigators followed up with Miller, who was in New York, where he recently relocated after leaving Silicon Valley, and he gave a different description of the woman with the bomb. During the conversation, the officer suspected Miller had been drinking, but he copped to only “one glass of red wine.” He denied he was mentally ill, saying, “No, absolutely not.” And he seemed genuine, telling investigators, “This is the first time I’ve ever made a call like this before. I am worried for everyone on that train. Someone has to check that lady out.”
It was then determined that Miller was actually on a different train — Amtrak train 2258 — so that train was then stopped and searched, again in Westport. Again, there were no explosive devices or materials. However, during the second stop, an Amtrak train attendant from the first-class car told investigators that Miller “appeared intoxicated upon boarding in Washington, that he consumed multiple drinks on the train, and that he had been removed in New York owing to his intoxication.”
Further, according to the release, “the attendant also advised that Miller had been involved in hostile exchanges with a woman who was sitting in a different row from him in the first-class car.” The woman was identified and investigators determined that Miller, “motivated by a grudge against the subject female, called 911 to relay false information about a suspected bomb on the train, and continued to convey false information to investigators while the public safety response was ongoing.”
A legal rep for Miller has yet to respond to Yahoo’s request for comment. As for why he wasn’t arrested sooner, that is likely because Miller has been on the road recently doing standup.
Miller hasn’t been getting good press lately. Silicon Valley returned to the tube without him because of his frequent tardiness, a tendency to fall asleep on set, and abuse of alcohol and other substances, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The story also noted he was “explosive” and “almost a danger” to have around. Miller denied being under the influence while working.
Also in March, Miller settled with an Uber driver regarding a dispute they had — over Donald Trump — which reportedly got physical.
And in December, Miller denied newly surfaced allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman while in college at George Washington University. He painted the woman as a crazed stalker.
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