A newly released Chicago police incident report is raising more questions about New Mexico House Rep. Joseph Hernandez’s brief explanation of a late-night hotel encounter that reportedly involved a disturbance, public nudity allegations, and a police escort off the property.
Hernandez, a Shiprock Democrat, previously described the episode as a “negative experience” with hotel security that ended with him moving to another hotel.
But according to the Albuquerque Journal, a heavily redacted Chicago Police Department incident report and two eyewitness accounts paint a far more serious picture of what unfolded early July 29 at the Holiday Inn at Wolf Point in Chicago.
The incident reportedly began around 2:30 a.m. on the hotel’s 17th floor, where Hernandez was staying. The Journal reported that someone called emergency services about a man “running around naked” and “banging and knocking on other guests’ doors.”
The name of the individual in the police report was redacted, but the Journal reported that the descriptors appeared to match Hernandez. Two eyewitnesses also told the newspaper they were certain the man involved in the disturbance was the New Mexico lawmaker.
According to a travel log obtained by the Journal, Hernandez checked into room 1745 on July 26 using a government discount code and checked out the morning of July 29, the same day as the incident.
Chicago police officers reportedly arrived around 2:44 a.m. and found the man “fully clothed” with security. The report described the individual as 5-foot-6, 280 pounds, with short black hair and a light-brown complexion, and a 1987 birth date.
The report also said the man pulled up photos of himself on his phone while “demanding” that officers “know who he is,” and insisted he should be allowed back into his room.
Hotel staff apparently disagreed. According to the Journal’s summary of the report, the hotel told officers the man’s reservation had been “cancelled due to” his behavior and for breaking hotel rules.
Police then escorted him to his room to collect his belongings before escorting him out of the hotel. The report said officers explained he had been “formally trespassed from the property” and waited while he ordered a rideshare to another hotel.
Hernandez’s earlier statement did not mention the nudity allegations, banging on doors, or being formally trespassed.
“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 the statement. “The situation was resolved quickly as I relocated to a new hotel, where I stayed for the remainder of my trip.”
The Journal reported that Hernandez has declined multiple requests to explain what happened and why the incident escalated. When reached by phone July 31, he reportedly referenced “a security guard,” then claimed he was losing signal, despite no apparent interference on the call. He said he would be available later but did not answer again or respond to follow-up requests.
The incident occurred while legislators from across the country were in Chicago for the National Conference of State Legislatures summit. The Journal reported that Hernandez had not filed travel receipts related to the trip as of Aug. 14, according to the Legislative Council Service.
The two eyewitnesses, who spoke anonymously to protect their employment, told the Journal that hotel staff and security searched the man’s name online and were surprised when the search led them to Hernandez’s page on the New Mexico Legislature website.
When shown another photo of Hernandez and asked to rate their certainty that the man involved was the lawmaker, one witness said “10.” The other said, “If not an 11.”
One witness claimed Hernandez “pushed” them near an elevator while they tried to get him back to his room. That witness also said that once police arrived, Hernandez had put his clothes back on and accused security and the hotel of racial bias.
The Journal reported that the original dispatch was classified as a “sex offense call,” though the Illinois reporting code on the final police report was “criminal trespass.” No charges appear to have been filed, and Hernandez was not listed in Chicago First Municipal District court records.
The witnesses also claimed security had been called on a different night during Hernandez’s stay after he allegedly “passed out” with his shoes off on a couch in the hotel lobby.
The report is politically damaging for Hernandez, who is seeking reelection in House District 4. He first took office in 2025 after winning the seat formerly held by retired Democrat Rep. Anthony Allison.
Hernandez will face Republican Heather Ellison in November. Ellison, a Navajo educator, previously called on Hernandez to explain the Chicago incident.
“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.”
House Speaker Javier Martínez told the Journal earlier this month that he planned to ask Hernandez about the incident, but could not say whether an ethics investigation had been or would be opened.
For now, the public still has more questions than answers.
Hernandez called it a “negative experience.” The police report and witnesses describe something much more serious.