Hulk Hogan’s son, Nick Hogan, was arrested for drunken driving in Clearwater, Florida, shortly before 4 a.m. on Saturday after allegedly refusing to take a field sobriety test. TMZ.
The 33-year-old TV personality was taken into custody on ‘suspicion of driving under the influence’.
According to the publication, the arrest is recorded as a criminal offense. However, Nick is yet to be released from police custody.
Earlier on Friday, the reality star had taken to his main Instagram page to reveal that he would be attending a bikini competition that evening at his father’s restaurant called Hulk’s Hangout on Clearwater Beach.
Further details about what led to the arrest in the early hours of Saturday morning are yet to be revealed.
The location of the recent arrest happens to be the same city where Nick was involved in a serious car accident sixteen years earlier, when he was just 17 years old.
DUI arrest: Hulk Hogan’s son, Nick Hogan, 33, was arrested for drunken driving shortly before 4 a.m. Saturday in Clearwater, Florida, after allegedly refusing to take a field sobriety test, according to TMZ; seen in 2014 in Las Vegas
Event: Earlier on Friday, the reality star had taken to his main Instagram page to reveal that he would be attending a bikini competition that evening at his father’s restaurant called Hulk’s Hangout on Clearwater Beach; father son duo seen in 2009
On August 26, 2007, Hulk’s only son and youngest child, Nick, was driving a yellow Toyota Supra in Clearwater with his good friend and United States Marine, John Graziano, also in the vehicle.
At some point, the teen lost control of the car and crashed. The pair were airlifted to a hospital and Nick was soon released.
However, Graziano – who was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident – suffered a brain injury that will require him to be under 24/7 care for the rest of his life.
Nick later pleaded no contest to the charge of reckless driving causing serious bodily injury and was sentenced to 8 months in the Pinellas County Jail. Police also suspect that alcohol was involved.
Hogan was additionally sentenced to five years’ probation and 500 hours of community service, and his driver’s license was also suspended for three years.
Hulk told it at the time People, ‘[Nick] went through life and perhaps had no real appreciation for things…’
‘When this happened, he became completely confused… It’s the best thing that ever happened to him. I’m not saying it’s a good thing. But it happened for a reason.”
However, due to good behavior, Hulk’s son was released from prison after about six months.
Crime: According to the publication, the arrest is recorded as a crime, but Nick has yet to be released from police custody; Nick seen with sister Brooke, mother Linda and father Hulk in 2006
Past car accident: Nick later pleaded no contest to a charge of reckless driving causing serious bodily injury and was sentenced to 8 months in the Pinellas County Jail; seen in 2007
Graziano’s family later sued the Hogans, according to TMZ, and the lawsuit was settled out of court.
A few years after the crash, Nick showed up Good morning America to talk about the night and call the accident “terribly devastating.”
He said: ‘It’s hard to move on every day and be positive when something is so terribly devastating.’
Hogan – whose full name is Nicholas Anthony Bollea – then admitted: ‘There are days I can’t even get out of bed.’
Nick also commented on his good friend who suffered brain damage. ‘John is my brother, we practically lived together and I remember finding out how bad everything was. It’s still hard for me to think about.’
“I pray every day that I can deal with it. It’s still too much to think about at this point. It’s something I carry with me every day.’
Before the 2007 crash, Nick notably received multiple speeding tickets in the state of Florida.
He admitted he had been ‘absolutely reckless’ when it came to speeding, adding: ‘It was young and quite frankly just stupid, not mature.’
Opened up: A few years after the crash, Nick appeared on Good Morning America to open up about the night, calling the accident “terribly devastating”; Nick seen with his family in 2006
WWE wrestler Hulk Hogan shares his son Nick and daughter Brooke, 35, with ex-wife Linda. The former couple was married from 1983 until their divorce was finalized in 2009.
He last married Sky Daily a few months earlier in September, after proposing to the yoga instructor in July.
Nick has been romantically linked to celebrities like Selling Sunset star Bre Tiesi. The two dated from 2008 until their split in 2015.
He later dated media personality Brit Manuela and has been in a relationship with erotic model Tana Lea since 2019.