A Rochester man, James Gerald Eckert, Jr., 39, faces federal charges after allegedly making multiple online threats against Donald Trump Jr. and others while streaming, and he is being held pending a detention hearing.
Federal authorities arrested James Gerald Eckert, Jr., of Rochester, New York, on a criminal complaint that charges him with threats to kill, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm upon a member of the immediate family of the President, a violation that carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The complaint alleges the threats were made during live online activity and in social media posts, drawing a Secret Service response. Local law enforcement assisted in the investigation and the case has moved into federal court.
Court documents state that on June 18, 2026 a U.S. Secret Service member on duty at the residence of Donald Trump Jr. was alerted to several threats posted in the group chat feed of the podcast “Triggered with Donald Trump Jr.” One of the chat posts read, “im going to kill you, (expletive), I am going to kill this (expletive) on the screen.” The account posting those messages used the username JamesGeraldEckertJr/@JamesGeraldEckertJr.
Investigators say Eckert was not only watching the podcast on the video platform Rumble but was also streaming himself at the same time, interacting with viewers and posting in the live chat. Over the course of an approximately eight-minute video, he allegedly repeated threats both verbally and in chat, and directed similar violent language at the CEO of Rumble. The complaint captures some of those statements exactly, including: “your (expletive) dead, its over guys” and “I’m going to go to YouTube and be calm and I’m still going to (expletive) kill Trump Junior. We’re going to get to World Peace. (Expletive) die guy. Try to get out of this surviving. (Expletive) you forever. (Expletive) you forever.”
The documents also point to earlier posts tied to the same Facebook account, including messages sent before the threats against Donald Trump Jr. On June 7, 2026 the account posted directly to the Facebook page of Mayor Malik Evans: “Mayor Malik Evans, I am coming for your family. Seriously, you will lose them to me personally. Stand by. This will not go away until you are dead or [REDACTED] is behind bars. Deal with this.” A later post on June 11, 2026 targeted New York State Senator Samra Brook with the comment: “You are going to die.”
Eckert made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen and was held pending a detention hearing scheduled for July 20, 2026. The complaint is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis A. Testani, reflecting the federal interest in threats against family members of the President. The arrest and charge stem from an investigation by the United States Secret Service under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Charles T. Perras and the Rochester Police Department under Chief David Smith.
The filings emphasize that the charged conduct involved digital platforms and live-streaming behavior, with alleged threats appearing in real time to anyone watching the stream or the podcast feed. Prosecutors have described a pattern of aggressive online posts across multiple platforms tied to the same username and account footprints. Those details form the basis of the criminal complaint now pending in federal court.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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