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Postal Worker and ‘Van-Lifer’ Charged With Storming the Capitol

According to newly unsealed court documents, Frank Joseph Bratjan Jr. lives with his mom and was partly ratted out by a gym buddy.

A U.S. Postal employee, who lives with his parents and has an affinity for his van, has been charged with taking part in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. According to recently unsealed court documents, Frank Joseph Bratjan Jr. penned since-deleted social media posts about breaching buildings and being teargassed during the riot. He was also allegedly captured on video entering the Capitol through a broken window and getting within feet of law enforcement officials. According to the court filing, Bratjan was partly ratted out by a tipster who said he boasted about the riot while at the gym. Bratjan lived with his father in Syracuse prior to the riot but moved in with his mom in Minnesota once investigations began, with a tipster claiming he did so out of fear. Investigators say they matched footage of Bratjan at the riot with images and video on his Facebook page and a YouTube channel in which he talks about upgrades he made to his van to let him live a “van life.”