Dem blames alcohol after alleged Chicago hotel streaking incident

New Mexico House Rep. Joseph Hernandez has broken his silence after a police report and eyewitness accounts described a bizarre late-night disturbance at a Chicago hotel involving allegations of public nudity, banging on guest doors, and a police escort off the property.

Hernandez, a Shiprock Democrat who represents House District 4, posted a public apology on social media after the Albuquerque Journal reported new details about the July 29 incident at the Holiday Inn at Wolf Point in Chicago.

“I want to sincerely apologize to my family and my community for my behavior during a recent stay in Chicago,” Hernandez wrote. “My conduct was not reflective of my role as a state representative or my duty to you – my constituents, and I accept full responsibility for my actions.”

The apology came after the Journal reported that a heavily redacted Chicago Police Department incident report described a roughly two-hour incident that began around 2:30 a.m. on the hotel’s 17th floor, where Hernandez was reportedly staying.

According to the Journal, someone called emergency services about a man “running around naked” and “banging and knocking on other guests’ doors.”

The name in the police report was redacted, but the Journal reported that identifying details appeared to match Hernandez. Two eyewitnesses also told the newspaper they were certain the man involved in the alleged disturbance was the New Mexico Democrat.

When shown another photo of Hernandez and asked to rate their certainty that the man was the state representative, one witness reportedly said “10.” The other responded, “If not an 11.”

The Journal previously reported that Hernandez checked into room 1745 on the 17th floor using a government discount code on July 26 and checked out the morning of July 29, the same day as the incident.

Chicago police officers reportedly responded around 2:44 a.m. and found the man “fully clothed” and standing with hotel security. The incident report described the man as 5-foot-6, 280 pounds, with short black hair, a light-brown complexion, and a 1987 birth date.

According to the Journal’s summary of the report, the man pulled up photos of himself on his phone and was “demanding” officers “know who he is,” while insisting he be allowed to return to his room.

Hotel staff refused. The Journal reported that staff told officers the man’s reservation had been “cancelled due to” his behavior and for breaking hotel rules.

Police then escorted the man to his room to collect his belongings before escorting him off the property. The report said officers told him he had been “formally trespassed from the property” and waited while he ordered a rideshare to another hotel.

Hernandez initially gave the Journal a much narrower explanation, calling the episode a “negative experience” with hotel security.

“During my recent stay in Chicago, I had a negative experience with a hotel security guard that resulted in a visit from Chicago Police,” Hernandez said in his earlier statement. “The situation was resolved quickly as I relocated to a new hotel, where I stayed for the remainder of my trip.”

But after the police report and eyewitness accounts became public, Hernandez’s tone changed dramatically.

In his new apology, Hernandez acknowledged that alcohol played a role in what he described as a “regrettable lapse in judgment.”

“I take this situation very seriously and am seeking professional help to address my challenges with alcohol that ultimately led to this regrettable lapse in judgement,” Hernandez wrote. “I am truly sorry for disappointing all those who put their faith in me, and I am committed to making meaningful changes to recover my health, regain your trust, and uphold the high standards you deserve from your elected representative.”

The statement was signed, “Joseph Franklin Hernandez, NM State Rep. HD-4, Shiprock, New Mexico.”

While Hernandez apologized for his conduct and accepted responsibility, he did not specifically address the most explosive allegations in the Journal’s report, including the claim that he was running around naked, banging on guest doors, or that witnesses identified him as the man involved.

The Journal reported that no charges appear to have been filed in connection with the incident. The original dispatch was reportedly classified as a “sex offense call,” though the final reporting code was “criminal trespass.”

One witness also claimed Hernandez “pushed” them near an elevator while they attempted to get him back to his room. That same witness reportedly said Hernandez later accused security and the hotel of racial bias after police arrived.

The incident has already become a political problem for Hernandez, who is running for reelection in House District 4. He faces Republican Heather Ellison, a Navajo educator, in November.

Ellison previously called on Hernandez to be transparent about what happened in Chicago.

“Legislators are held to a certain ethical standard, and they have a responsibility to be transparent, especially when spending taxpayer dollars,” Ellison said. “This incident is certainly concerning, and I call upon Representative Hernandez to tell the truth and take accountability for what happened.”

Hernandez has now apologized and admitted alcohol was involved.

But for voters, the unanswered questions remain: what exactly happened inside that Chicago hotel, why did his original statement leave out so many details, and were taxpayer-related travel benefits involved in the trip? Also, to what extent is Hernandez’s alleged alcoholism affecting his job performance, including official acts while voting and serving during the legislative session at the Roundhouse?

For a lawmaker who first described the incident as a brief “negative experience,” the latest apology confirms the episode was serious enough to demand public accountability.

And the details now on the record are far stranger than voters were first told.