Nick Hogan

Nick Hogan
Born Nicholas Allan Bollea
(1990-07-27) July 27, 1990
Los Angeles County, California, U.S.[1]
Known for Son of semi-retired professional wrestler Hulk Hogan
Television Hogan Knows Best (2005–2007)
Brooke Knows Best (2008–09)
Partner(s) Britanie Anderson (2008-present)
Parent(s) Hulk Hogan (father)
Linda Hogan (mother)
Family Brooke Hogan (sister)

Nicholas Allan Bollea (born July 27, 1990),[1] also known as Nick Hogan, is an American reality personality and actor, best known as the son of semi-retired professional wrestler Hulk Hogan and for his appearances on the reality show Hogan Knows Best (and its spinoff, Brooke Knows Best) alongside his father, mother Linda, and older sibling Brooke.

Bollea was involved in a car accident in which he crashed into a tree as result of driving under the influence of alcohol and racing his automobile on August 26, 2007. He spent May 9, 2008, to October 21, 2008, in Pinellas County Jail as a result. The passenger in Bollea's car, John Graziano, was seriously injured and is expected to require 24-hour-a-day care for the rest of his life.

Motorsports

Bollea earned a Formula D competition license in 2006 from Formula Drift, the only professional drifting series in North America, and competed in one of their competitions, the event in Atlanta on May 12, 2007.[2]

Bollea was active in the NOPI Drift series, qualified 10th at the Denver NOPI drift event of 2007, and placed third at their Pittsburgh event. Bollea occasionally attended amateur drifting competitions. According to Chris Tyler, a drift event organizer, Bollea attended an event the Friday prior to the crash of Nick's Toyota Supra. Bollea did not compete; he gave drifting demonstrations between the runs of competitors.[3]

Bollea's celebrity status and enthusiasm for drifting attracted sponsors. He was briefly signed to Dodge, but company spokesman Todd Goyer said that he "is not a Dodge driver or a Mopar driver", and that his relationship with Dodge/Mopar ended two months prior to his 2007 crash.[4] He was sponsored for the 2007 season by Polaroid, Mac Tools, BF Goodrich and Sparco.[5] These companies are still listed on the NOPI website as sponsors of Nick's drift car,[5] but Polaroid VP of marketing Cheryl Mau said, "We do not have a signed sponsorship agreement with Nick Hogan for the 2008 race season."[6]

Bollea had two Dodge Vipers with steering modified to enhance their drifting capability,[7] but his last competition vehicle was a Nissan 350Z.[3][5] John Graziano (the veteran Marine injured in the Supra crash) and Danny Jacobs (the driver of the silver Viper, seen with the Supra at the time of the crash) worked in Nick Bollea's pit crew during 2007 in St. Louis, Denver and Los Angeles.[8] Barry Lawrence, the passenger in the aforementioned Viper, was also a member of Bollea's pit crew.[5]

Vehicle incidents

On September 13, 2006, in Bay Harbor Islands, Florida, Bollea was driving a yellow 2001 Lamborghini Diablo VT owned by Cecile Barker (chairman of SoBe Entertainment, the record label attached to his sister) when it caught on fire. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokesman Paul Perry said, "It was a normal car fire. It happens a bunch of times every day and nobody notices."[9]

On September 17, 2006, Bollea was stopped twice driving between Miami and Tampa. He was warned the first time and ticketed the second for going 115 mph (185 km/h) in a 70 mph (113 km/h) zone.[10][11] In an August 2007 interview with Rides, Bollea said he was driving 123 mph (198 km/h) in a 50 mph (80 km/h) zone.[7] His mother said the interview was exaggerated.[8]

On February 8, 2007, he was ticketed in Miami-Dade County, Florida for driving 57 mph (92 km/h) in a 30 mph (48 km/h) zone, and on April 25, 2007, he was ticketed and received four points on his license for driving 106 mph (171 km/h) in a 70 mph (113 km/h) zone in Osceola County.[10] On August 10, 2007, he was ticketed in Pinellas Park after being clocked going 82 mph (132 km/h) in a 45 mph (72 km/h) construction zone.[10]

Toyota Supra crash

On the evening of August 26, 2007, just 16 days after his fourth speeding ticket in 11 months, the 17-year-old Bollea was involved in a serious accident in Clearwater, Florida. Bollea and three members of the pit crew for his drifting team,[5] using two of his father's cars a yellow Toyota Supra and a silver Dodge Viper were traveling to a steakhouse when the single-vehicle crash occurred at Court Street and Missouri Avenue, near downtown Clearwater. The yellow Supra, which Bollea had been driving in the outside lane,[12] fishtailed and spun across the road, crashing into the median strip and into a palm tree. The impact destroyed the car.[13]

Bollea and his passenger, 22-year-old John Graziano, were flown to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, Florida. Bollea was released from care on August 27 and said to be "OK".[14] Graziano, a U.S. Marine and a member of Bollea's pit crew, was not wearing a seatbelt.[15] The eye and brain injuries he sustained are expected to leave him in a nursing home for the rest of his life.[16] In September 2009, Graziano returned to his home where he continued to receive full-time care.[17]

Criminal Charges

Bollea was charged with several violations for the crash, including a felony. He turned himself in to authorities on Wednesday, November 7, 2007,[18] and was released within hours on $10,000 bail. Bollea was charged with reckless driving involving serious bodily injury (a 3rd degree felony, punishable by up to 5 years in prison plus fines), use of a motor vehicle in commission of a felony, a person under the age of 21 operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol level of 0.02% or higher, and illegal window tint. Two hours after the wreck, Nick's blood alcohol content was 0.055%.[19]

Police believed that Nick Bollea and Danny Jacobs were speeding "in excess of 60 mph (97 km/h) in the posted 40 mph (64 km/h) zone" on the wet road prior to the crash and both were charged with reckless driving.[12] Eyewitnesses claimed the cars were racing.[20][21][22] The official police report says that the two cars were racing, but that Jacobs' actions were not a direct cause of the accident.[23]

Prior to the trial, Bollea's lawyer said that the accident was not the result of speeding,[24] emphasizing that Bollea was wearing a seatbelt and Graziano was not.[19][25] Bollea's lawyer released a store's surveillance video from earlier in the day[26] which he claimed could disprove the police report that Nick was driving at least 50% faster than the posted speed limit. The Graziano family denied rumors of a civil suit,[27][28] but later the Graziano family lawyers suggested a civil suit against the Bolleas to pay for John's lifetime medical care.[16]

Incarceration

On May 9, 2008, Bollea entered a no contest plea and was sentenced to eight months in Pinellas County Jail. The sentence also called for Bollea to serve five years of probation, 500 community service hours, and his driver's license was suspended for 3 years.[29]

After a public records request, Pinellas County Sheriff's Office released audio tapes of Nick's jail phone conversation from his overnight incarceration several months earlier. The conversation included Nick saying that crash victim John Graziano was a "negative person."[30] The press was critical of the excerpts blaming the crash victim and said the phone calls could mark the end of Hulkamania.[31] Nick later sued the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office for releasing the tapes of his phone conversations.[32]

Bollea was separated from the general jail population because he was a minor. His attorneys asked for reconsideration of his sentence, seeking temporary house arrest until he was 18 years old. On June 3, 2008, the motion was denied.[33][34] Soon after, Bollea was moved to join three other juvenile inmates.[35] On July 27 (his 18th birthday), he was moved to Pinellas County Jail general population.

On October 21, 2008, Bollea was released from the Pinellas County Jail due to "good time" credit and moved to his mother's home in Clearwater, Florida.[36][37]

On May 4, 2012, Bollea was granted early release from felony probation.[38]

Later life

In 2009, the Wrestling Observer reported that Bollea was training to become a pro wrestler at Rikishi's wrestling school.[39]

In October 2014 several publications named Bollea as the first male star to be directly targeted in the 2014 celebrity photo leaks, however Hogan denied the authenticity of some of the pictures.[40][41][42]

References

  1. 1 2 http://www.californiabirthindex.org/birth/nicholas_allan_bollea_born_1990_19709589
  2. Tamara El-Khoury and Lorri Helfand (August 28, 2007). "Hogan wreck tied to speed". SPTimes. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
  3. 1 2 Keith Morelli and Stephen Thompson (August 28, 2007). "Fast Lane Leads Bollea To Tragedy". Tampa Bay Online. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
  4. "Hulk Hogan's Son Totals Toyota Supra in Florida Crash". Edmunds.com. August 7, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Drivers - Nick Hogan". Nopidrift.com. Retrieved 2007-11-30.
  6. "Nick Bollea loses major sponsorship". BayNews9.com. October 29, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-11-01. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  7. 1 2 Brian Miller (August 27, 2007). "Young & Relentless". Retrieved 2007-09-16.
  8. 1 2 Tamara El-Khoury (September 14, 2007). "Under the radar no longer". SPTimes. Retrieved 2007-11-30.
  9. "'Hogan Knows Best' son Nick Hogan uninjured in Lamborghini car fire". RealityTVWorld.com/UPI. September 13, 2006. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
  10. 1 2 3 Stephen Thompson (September 6, 2007). "Bollea's 100 MPH Speeding Got Warning, Not Ticket". Tampa Bay Online. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  11. "Troopers say Nick Hogan got warning, ticket". USAToday. September 6, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
  12. 1 2 "State of Florida vs. Nicholas Bollea" (PDF). November 9, 2007. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
  13. Stephen Thompson and Chris Echegaray (August 27, 2007). "Hogan's Son Out Of Hospital; Passenger In Critical Condition". Tampa Bay Online. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
  14. "Bubba Says Nick Hogan Was Released, Comments On Situation". Headline Planet. August 27, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-12-31. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
  15. "Police release details in Nick Bollea crash". BayNews9.com. Archived from the original on 2007-11-18. Retrieved 2007-11-23.
  16. 1 2 Tamara El-Khoury (October 13, 2007). "Parents May Sue Hogan Family". TheLedger.com. Archived from the original on 2007-11-11. Retrieved 2007-11-30.
  17. Drew Harwell (September 10, 2009). John Graziano leaves hospital two years after car wreck with Nick Hogan. St. Petersburg Times. Accessed 2010-12-01.
  18. Gina Serpe (November 7, 2007). "Nick Hogan Arrested for Critical Crash". EOnline.com. Retrieved 2007-11-30.
  19. 1 2 Tamara El-Khoury (November 8, 2007). "Hulk Hogan's son charged in crash". SPTimes.com. Retrieved 2007-11-23.
  20. "Woman says Hulk Hogan's son racing another car before Florida crash". August 29, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
  21. Athima Chasanchai (August 29, 2007). "People in the News: Bollea was racing, crash witness says". SeattlePi.com. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
  22. "Nick Hogan Crash: 911 Tapes Released". TMZ.com. November 26, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-27.
  23. http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_documents/1107_hogan_press_release_wm.pdf
  24. "Daily Dish : Hogan's Son Charged With Reckless Driving". SFGate. November 7, 2007. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
  25. Thomas W. Krause (November 8, 2007). "Hogan Defense Faults Seat Belt". TBO.com. Retrieved 2007-11-23.
  26. Hulk Hogan - Hogan's son releases video to disprove drag-racing reports ContactMusic.com. Accessed 2008-01-10.
  27. "John Graziano's mom speaks out". BayNews9.com. September 3, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-12-04. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
  28. Brenda Jones (September 5, 2007). "Nick & Hulk Hogan Taking Care of John Graziano Family "Financially"". National Ledger. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
  29. Tony Santaella (May 9, 2008). "Hulk Hogan's Son Sentenced to 8 Months in Jail". wltx.com. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
  30. "Bolleas' jail tapes anger victim's father". St. Petersburg Times. May 27, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
  31. Kevin Eck (May 25, 2008). "The end of Hulkamania". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2008-05-26.
  32. Mike Fleeman (June 3, 2008). "Hulk Hogan's Son Sues Sheriff Over Jailhouse Tapes". People.com. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
  33. "Nick Bollea unhappy with the conditions in Pinellas County Jail". WFTS-TV. June 2, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
  34. Chris Harris (June 3, 2008). "Nick Hogan Will Remain In Solitary Confinement, Judge Rules". MTV. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
  35. "Hulk Hogan's son out of solitary confinement". CNN. June 5, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-06-11. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  36. Nick Hogan is a free man (October 21, 2008) MyFoxTampaBay. Accessed 2008-10-20.
  37. Joy for Hulk Hogan's son Nick as he's released early from jail sentence (October 21, 2008) DailyMail. Accessed 2008-10-20.
  38. "Judge grants early probation release for Bollea". Tampa Bay Times.
  39. Nick Paglino (October 19, 2009). Report: Nick Hogan Training To Become a Pro Wrestler. Wrestlezone. Accessed 2010-12-01.
  40. Denham, Jess. "The Fappening 4 naked photo leaked: Hulk Hogan's son Nick Hogan becomes first male victim". Independent. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  41. "Nick Hogan Becomes First Male Victim of Nude Photo Leak: Report". Us magazine. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  42. "Nick Hogan's iCloud Photos Hacked; The Fappening Claims First Male Celebrity". International Business Times. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
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