April 25, 2023
"Jackass" star Bam Margera is still wanted by Pennsylvania State Police on assault charges for allegedly attacking his older brother and threatening to shoot his family members at their home in Pocopson Township on Sunday morning.
Margera, 43, fled into the woods before authorities arrived at the property along the 400 block of Hickory Hill Road, police said. The home, infamously called "Castle Bam," was regularly featured on Margera's MTV show "Viva La Bam" in the 2000s. It remained a party house in recent years before his mother had it renovated.
Margera's mom, April, and brother, Jesse, both spoke out about the incident and urged Bam to commit to getting help. "We all love him so much, and we just want to help him, and we are not against him," April Margera told FOX News on Tuesday. "We just want to try to get him help."
Margera's mom said Bam, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2021, is off his medication and in crisis.
"He just needs to settle down and get it straight, and I think it's just hard for him to do without being on his medication ..." she said. "We just want him to get better. I mean, the things that he's doing are not criminal in his mind. He just thinks he's running away from his troubles."
Jesse Margera downplayed his injuries from the incident, but said his brother is "overdue" for getting help for his problems. Police said Bam struck his brother in the head multiple times. Jesse said Bam had been on a bender "for about a week at this point and is hallucinating."
Hey thanks for all the comments everyone, I’m fine pic.twitter.com/lL2osabLeH
— Jess Margera (@jessmargera) April 24, 2023
April Margera said she has no idea where her son went, but said she doesn't believe he's still in the West Chester area.
Margera has struggled with substance use and mental health issues, including several stints in rehab and a series of arrests in recent years. He's currently going through a separation from his wife, Nikki Boyd, with whom he has a 5-year-old son.
April Margera said Bam appeared to be progressing when he was in rehab in Florida, but his status as a celebrity has made it difficult for him to stay on course. She claimed many rehab facilities are not well-equipped to keep people like her son disciplined.
"It's really just a breakdown of the system," April Margera told FOX News. "Sometimes when you're a celebrity, it's like you get special treatment in rehabs, and it doesn't help."
During a 2019 appearance on "Dr. Phil," Margera told the TV psychologist that he had considered taking his life in the midst of another mental breakdown, but that his love for his son stopped him from going through with it. He explained that his addiction problems worsened when he was starring on "Jackass." He became a heavy drinker and also struggled with bulimia. And as his pro skateboarding career waned, Margera said his depression worsened.
Two years ago, Margera's problems became the focus of a lawsuit he filed against the "Jackass" crew following his exclusion from "Jackass Forever," the most recent film spinoff of the original MTV reality series. Margera was fired for failing a required daily drug screening in February 2021. A wrongful termination lawsuit over that dispute was settled out of court last April.
Last year, Margera's family placed him under a "temporary health care guardianship," an arrangement Margera said ended in January.
In March, Margera was arrested in California, where he faces domestic violence charges for allegedly kicking a woman. He was released after posting $50,000 bail. Then he was arrested a second time last month for a separate incident at a restaurant in Burbank and charged with public intoxication.
His past run-ins with the law also include a 2019 arrest for allegedly harassing patrons at a Los Angeles hotel.
Information on Margera's whereabouts can be provided to state troopers in Avondale barracks at (610) 268-2022.
