T.J. Miller Arrested for Calling in a Fake Bomb Threat
T.J. Miller is really keeping up appearances. Following his crass denial of sexual assault allegations that resurfaced in December, the former Silicon Valley star — whose comments on his departure from the HBO series were far from civil — has been arrested for calling in a false bomb threat. Though Miller was arrested last night, the actual threat was made back in March.
The United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut (via The Blast) has charged the actor and comedian with “intentionally conveying to law enforcement false information about an explosive device on a train.” Miller was released on a $100,000 bond and is currently awaiting trial; the charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The incident allegedly took place on March 18, when Miller is said to have called 911 in New Jersey to report that a female passenger on the Amtrak Train 2256 had a “bomb in her bag.” The train, which was traveling from Washington, D.C. to Penn Station in New York City, was halted and the passengers were removed from the train while a search took place.
A subsequent search conducted by Amtrak officials and a local bomb squad turned up no evidence of explosive devices of any kind. Per the official complaint, Miller was on a different train, which was also thoroughly searched. According to an Amtrak attendant, who was stationed in the First Class car where Miller was seated, the actor had consumed multiple alcoholic beverages and clearly appeared to be intoxicated.
The false bomb threat is believed to have been “motivated by a grudge against the subject female,” whereupon Miller “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.” Miller had been engaged in “hostile exchanges” with the unidentified woman on the train.
It’s not the first time that Miller has made headlines in the past year — and though in this case it’s merely implied by the official complaint, it’s not the first time that Miller’s ill behavior has been tied to substance abuse. In a recent profile on Silicon Valley, sources previously told The Hollywood Reporter that Miller was known “to self-medicate with alcohol and other substances,” which sometimes interfered with production.
Back in December, The Daily Beast published an interview with a woman who attended George Washington University with Miller. According to the woman, the comedian physically and sexually assaulted her in college. Miller and his wife subsequently released a joint statement denying the allegations and suggesting that his accuser was “fixated” on the couple. Around the same time, film critic Danielle Solzman revealed an email she received from Miller that featured incredibly hateful and transphobic language.
Comedy Central subsequently canceled Miller’s TV series, The Gorburger Show, though the network maintains that the decision was made prior to the December allegations. Mucinex also cut ties with Miller, who voiced the company’s mascot in a series of ads; he’s been replaced by Jason Mantzoukas. Despite the fact that these allegations were made public several months in advance, Miller’s roles in two of this year’s blockbuster releases remained intact: Steven Spielberg did not cut or replace Miller in Ready Player One (which may have been due to the mo-cap component of his performance), and 20th Century Fox has publicly stated that they have no plans to replace him in the upcoming Deadpool 2.
And yet, in light of the allegations made against him and his unsavory track record, Miller continues to enjoy a career — one that will not likely be derailed anytime soon. Not even by a bomb threat.