A triptych of photos of Ryan Michael Irwin at various points in his life. The first is of Irwin during or before March 2020. Taken from what appears to be the driver's seat, Irwin sits in the back passenger side of a car. On his lap is a Jack Russel terrier, wearing a gray hoodie with green hood pulls; the dog's face has been intentionally redacted. Irwin imself wears blue jeans, an emerald green shirt, a black wristband loosely on his left arm, a chain of what appear to be gold plastic Mardi Gras beads, and two-tone horn-rimmed corrective lenses with rectangular frames. He has a short blond beard and a buzzcut, his face wearing the ghost of a smirk. The second is of Irwin at an America Backs the Blue event in Mansfield MA during September 2020. Irwin wears black pants, a gray Smokey the Bear "If Not You, Who?" graphic t-shirt, black plastic-framed rectangular lenses, and a camo Red Sox baseball cap. He wears a white bandana to conceal most of his face and neck. His right hand is curling into a fist. He is with a company of NSC-131 members. The third is of Irwin and his daughter, as they ride the Worcester EcoTraium's Explorer Express Train, during 2024. They both face the camera, which is outside the train. The daughter's face has been intentionally redacted. Irwin wears an olive green graphic design tee, a green baseball cap with the word "Worcester" on it embroidered in script, a gold chain necklace, his two-tone horn-rimmed glasses, olive green camo shorts, and what appear to be black Crocs. He smiles faintly toward the camera, his phone in his lap.
Posted on by Sam

ID Bulletin: Ryan M. Irwin, of Leicester MA

If you know the whereabouts of Ryan Michael Irwin, a/k/a “Hyperborean Hooligan” and a long-time member of NSC-131, please reach out! Irwin is currently attending college to his own admission, and I believe his campus of choice is somewhere in or around Worcester MA. CW for all kinds of abuse.

It’s been 6 months since we’ve seen hide or hair of NSC-131. As “PINE,” they used to make noises about protecting white families? Kinda strains credibility to tell people this when NSC counts people like Irwin, a man most recently charged with assaulting his pregnant-at-the-time girlfriend, as members.

Irwin is the latest add to NSC-131’s vast list of members who dabble in domestic abuse and violating protective orders, alongside Leo Cullinan, Jay Shivers, Mike Moura, Robert Budzyna, Chase Gilroy, Cody Baker, and Zach Brackett. Or, ha, dabbled, past tense, in the cases of Cullinan and Shivers. Additional reminder on the ways NSC-131 members keep their families safe: another long-term member and family man was busted for possessing child porn, and was hit with a divorce for what we can safely assume was for the same reason.

Anyway, Ryan Irwin, at turns of Leicester, Worcester, Spencer, & Buzzards Bay MA, is a prolific guest of the courts. A number of his charges are victimless or survival crimes: possessing drugs, shoplifting, evictions, and so forth.

A screenshot from a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet itself lists an index of Irwin's court cases and charges. Over 20 years, Irwin has been in court over 30 times, on well over 60 separate charges, largely as a criminal defendant. The charges against him include assault & battery (including on family members and one pregnant woman), possession on firearms without permits, drug possession, violation of an abuse prevention order, and attempted murder. He also has a handful of custody actions and a vehicular personal injury claim as a plaintiff. A photo of Ryan Michael Irwin and a woman hugging a baby, taken around Halloween 2024. The wife is dressed as Winnie the Pooh. This baby is dressed as Tigger. Both of their faces have been intentionally redacted. Irwin is dressed as Eeyore.
A post on Bluesky, part of the ID thread on suspected NSC-131 member Anthony Piccadaci. It reads: "If you see someone shoplifting, I would strenuously recommend lending empathy to a person likely committing a crime out of necessity or survival. Unless that person is an armed neo-Nazi."
gonna tap the sign here, which also covers drug possession and evictions

Many of Ryan Irwin’s alleged crimes, however, are couched in violence, including unlicensed firearms possession, domestic violence (at least once with a knife) against roommates and intimate partners alike, violating at least one protective order, and attempted murder. Seems a lot of these charges were dismissed for lack of prosecution, either by plaintiffs or the courts themselves. There are… an unbelievable amount of probation violations in there, too.

Irwin was clearly one of the NSC-131 members at the America Backs the Blue event in Mansfield MA during September 2020, where he displayed his face and tattoos for various photographers to capture forever. Not to mention his seig-heils. He also got in @RodWebber’s camera, which is always a mistake!

A prepared photo array of NSC-131 members and associates present at Mansfield MA during the September 2020 America Backs the Blue event. Numbered from one to nine are Chris Hood, Zachary Brackett (question mark), Cameron Anthony (left) and Anthony Petruccelli (right), an unidentified member, an undisclosed female associate, another undisclosed female associate, Ryan Irwin, an unknown associate, and a pair of unknown associates. A photo of Ryan Irwin and someone who appears to be NSC-131 co-founder Zach Brackett, at an America Backs the Blue event in Mansfield MA during September 2020. They stand in the northeast corner of the lot for the Mansfield Gulf and Service Station on Chauncy Street, with "The Pro's Auto Care Complex" visible in the background. Irwin wears black pants, a gray Smokey the Bear "If Not You, Who?" graphic t-shirt, black plastic-framed rectangular lenses, and a camo Red Sox baseball cap. He wears a white bandana to conceal most of his face and neck. His arms are decorated with a number of tattoos.  On the back of his left hand is what appears to be a flower design with the Traditional Chinese characters "熱情" on it; this roughly translates to "passion" or "enthusiasm" by way of fervor or zeal. On the inside of his left elbow is what appears to be a highly stylized face surrounded by large white stars, a grid pattern being chewed between its jaws; there is some kind of frill on the corner of the grid. On his right forearm are a clover that appears to have the name "Irwin" in it, the head of an angry-looking ninja turtle (probably Raphael), and what appear to be the wings of a dove disappearing over the horizon of his forearm. Irwin is several inches shorter than Brackett, the top of Irwin's head coming to roughly Brackett's brows.
A photo of Ryan Irwin and several other NSC-131 members, at an America Backs the Blue event in Mansfield MA during September 2020. They stand in the northeast corner of the lot for the Mansfield Gulf and Service Station on Chauncy Street, with the buildings across the street visible in the background. In the foreground are Irwin and NSC-131 co-founder Chris Hood. Just behind them are a number of people, including members Anthony Petruccelli and Cameron Anthony. Irwin wears black pants, a gray Smokey the Bear "If Not You, Who?" graphic t-shirt, black plastic-framed rectangular lenses, and a camo Red Sox baseball cap. He wears a white bandana to conceal most of his face and neck. His arms are decorated with a number of tattoos. Both Irwin and Hood appear to be in verbal confrontation with someone off-camera, with Irwin in the midst of gesticulating. A photo of several NSC-131 members amongst participants at an America Backs the Blue event in Mansfield MA during September 2020. They stand or sit behind the green fencing on the south side of the North Common, with the Common itself and the buildings on Crocker Street visible in the background. Standing partially on the fence is Irwin, apearing ready to throw a Roman salute. Irwin wears black pants, a gray Smokey the Bear "If Not You, Who?" graphic t-shirt, black plastic-framed rectangular lenses, a camo Red Sox baseball cap, and black sneakers with white soles. He wears a white bandana around his neck. His arms are decorated with a number of tattoos, not discernable from a distance. Along with Irwin on his side of the fence are, from left-to-right, NSC-131 members Cameron Anthony, Anthony Petruccelli, Chris Hood, who appears to be Zach Brackett, and another unidentified member.

His photographed tattoos include one of a clover emblazoned what what appears to include his LAST NAME. That, combined with a tattoo of his first wife’s name on the left side of his neck, was inconsequential for confirming this ID! Guy’s not good at secrets.

A close-up of Irwin's right arm, cropped from a photo of the America Backs the Blue event in Mansfield MA during September 2020. A tattoo on his inside upper forearm is of a clover with what appears to be the letters "Irwi" printed in it, the last letter disappearing to perspective. Text has been overlaid on the image, saying "you've got to be FUCKIN' KIDDING," with the word "kidding" getting furiously larger and more distorted with every letter, the last "G" getting cut off by the image border.

I also have someone who strongly resembles Irwin by height, build, gait, & sneakers at NSC-131’s standouts outside the Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth NH during December ’21 (note the hand tatts and beady eyes), and at Boston Brigham & Women’s during January ’22 (note the corrective lenses).

A screenshot of NSC-131's propaganda video of their Portsmouth NH standout against a drag queen story hour during December 2021. Taken outside of the Seacoast Repertory Theatre at a Dutch angle, a row of members, white men in black clothes and masks, adorned with the number "131" decorating various articles of clothing, stand on a brick sidewalk. One man, wearing a black windbreaker and gloves, black sneakers with white soles, gray slacks, a black gaiter with the NSC-131 logo on it in white, and a black baseball cap decorated with a white sonnenrad, holds the edge of a banner. His eyes are visibly beady. The banner has been intentionally redacted, and the man is highlighted. A screenshot of NSC-131's propaganda video of their Portsmouth NH standout against a drag queen story hour during December 2021. Taken outside of the Seacoast Repertory Theatre, a row of members, white men in black clothes and masks, adorned with the number "131" decorating various articles of clothing, stand on a brick sidewalk, holding a banner in the background. A man in the midground hands another man in the foreground a flyer. One man, wearing a black windbreaker and gloves, black sneakers with white soles, gray slacks, a black gaiter with the NSC-131 logo on it in white, and a black baseball cap decorated with a white sonnenrad, holds the edge of the banner. He's removed his right glove to manage a cell phone. The back of his right hand visibly has a black tattoo on it. The banner and flyer have been intentionally redacted, and the man holding his phone is highlighted.
A screenshot of NSC-131's propaganda video of their Boston MA standout against Brigham & Women's Hospital during January 2022. Taken in front of Stoneman Centennial Park on Francis Street, a row of members, white men in black clothes and masks, adorned with the number "131" decorating various articles of clothing, stand on a concrete sidewalk, holding a banner in the foreground. One man, standing next to the banner but not holding it, wears a black windbreaker and gloves, khaki slacks, a black gaiter with the numbers "131" on it in white, a khaki tan baseball cap, and what appear to be corrective lenses with black frames. He wears a gray Mjolnir symbol from his windbreaker's zipper-pull. Next to the the Mjolnir is a set of blue-lensed aviator sunglasses, tucked into the collar of his windbreaker. His hands are in his pants' pockets. The banner has been intentionally redacted, and the man with his hands in his pockets is highlighted. A screenshot of NSC-131's propaganda video of their Boston MA standout against Brigham & Women's Hospital during January 2022. Taken in Haymarket Station, a procession of members, white men in black clothes and masks, adorned with the number "131" decorating various articles of clothing, board an Orange Line train outbound to Oak Grove Station. One man, to the center-right of frame, wears a black windbreaker and gloves, khaki slacks, a black gaiter with the numbers "131" on it in white, a khaki tan baseball cap, and what appear to be corrective lenses with black frames. He wears a gray Mjolnir symbol from his windbreaker's zipper-pull. He wears a set of aviator sunglasses. His head is tilted downward, seeming to watch the gap between the train and the platform. He is intentionally highlighted in the image.

In case those events are kind of musty, I believe I have Irwin at NSC’s standouts outside various migrant shelters, including at Framingham MA during September 2023 (by height, build, gait, and certain pieces of attire) and Lexington MA (by height, build, and hand positioning) during May 2024.

A screenshot of NSC-131's propaganda video of their Framingham MA standout against a migrant shelter during September 2023. Several men in variations of the NSC-131 uniform walk past a Framingham Police officer, on their way to spew invective at a migrant shelter. One member is specifically highlighted. He wears slim-fit khakis, an oversize black hoodie, black sneakers, black gloves with white detailing, a black balaclava, sunglasses, and a khaki trucker cap. He does not make eye contact with the officer as he approaches to pass. A screenshot of NSC-131's propaganda video of their Framingham MA standout against a migrant shelter during September 2023. Shot with a fisheye effect, disorganized rows of NSC-131 members stand across the way from a local hotel hosting migrants. Two groups of members hold banners, which have been intentionally redacted. In between, a group of members (including NSC-131 member Chase Gilroy) stand unoccupied, looking away from the camera and the shelter. One member, holding the edge of one of the banners and standing next to Gilroy, is specifically highlighted. He wears slim-fit khakis, an oversize black hoodie, black sneakers, black gloves with white detailing, a black balaclava, blue-lensed aviator sunglasses, and a khaki trucker cap. His gaze appears to be trained on the hotel.
A propaganda photo of NSC-131's Lexington MA standout, as the "New England Minutemen," against a migrant shelter during May 2024. Shot from slightly below and off the the side, a row of men hold an intentionally redacted banner, with their backs turned to the MA National Guard Armory. They almost universally wear blue jeans, green button-up shirts, various colors of baseball cap adorned with the New England Independence flag, several models of sunglasses, and white balaclavas. The shot is framed to grant the illusion of staring boldly into the distance; given the ubiquitous sunglasses, it seems more like they're gormlessly staring at the sun. One man, holding the edge of the banner, is specifically highlighted. He appears to be shorter than most members, some identifiable as usual if unidentified NSC-131 members, who appear to average around 5'10". He also has more obviously sloping shoulders and stubby fingers. His sunglasses are blue-lensed in black, rectangular frames. A propaganda photo of NSC-131's Lexington MA standout, as the "New England Minutemen," against a migrant shelter during May 2024. Shot from the sidewalk at Bedford Street, a row of men hold an intentionally redacted banner, with their backs turned to the MA National Guard Armory. They almost universally wear blue jeans, green button-up shirts, various colors of baseball cap adorned with the New England Independence flag, several models of sunglasses, and white balaclavas. One man, holding the edge of the banner, is specifically highlighted. He appears to be shorter than most members, some identifiable as usual if unidentified NSC-131 members, who appear to average around 5'10". He also has more obviously sloping shoulders and stubby fingers. His sunglasses are blue-lensed in black, rectangular frames.

Irwin’s various tattoos make him easily identifiable. He was kind enough to provide copious reference material himself, mostly via social media accounts he recently began using more actively during September of this year!

A selfie of a woman being hugged by Ryan Michael Irwin, as they stand on a beach sometime prior to the autumn of 2017. The woman's face has been redacted. A white man in his late twenties but not older than 30, Irwin's face is one of placid expressionlessness. He wears a neon green jersey top, and a black baseball cap turned backwards, with an emerald green plastic adjuster. Irwin has a short blond beard. Several of Irwin's various tattoos are visible. Two on the right side of his neck include a crucifix, as well as a triquetra intertwined with a heart. Of three tattoos on his right arm, one on his deltoid is discernable: it depicts a woman with angel wings and dark shoulder-length hair, wearing a negligee, while kneeling. He also has a phrase in script tattooed on his upper chest, appearing to be the words "Fear Nothing,", with a star just above that. Irwin wears what looks to be a black-beaded rosary around his neck, over his jersey. A photo of Ryan Michael Irwin, taken during or before March 2020. Taken from what appears to be the driver's seat, Irwin sits in the back passenger side of a car. On his lap is a Jack Russel terrier, wearing a gray hoodie with green hood pulls; the dog's face has been intentionally redacted. Irwin imself wears blue jeans, an emerald green shirt, a black wristband loosely on his left arm, a chain of what appear to be gold plastic Mardi Gras beads, and two-tone horn-rimmed corrective lenses with rectangular frames. He has a short blond beard and a buzzcut, his face wearing the ghost of a smirk. Several of Irwin's tattoos are visible, including the heart-and-triquetra on the right side of his neck and the star peeking out of his shirt collar. On the back of his left hand is what appears to be a flower design with the Traditional Chinese characters "熱情" on it; this roughly translates to "passion" or "enthusiasm" by way of fervor or zeal. His arms are adorned with several other tattoos, though they're difficult to make out.
A selfie of Ryan Michael Irwin taken from below, framing him from the hips up from a sitting position, during 2024. Here, Irwin is 37. In Irwin's arms appears to be a daughter, no older than three. Her face has been intentionally redacted. They're sitting in one of the cars of the Explorer Express Train at the Worcester EcoTarium, a wooden bench visible behind Irwin's right arm. Irwin wears an olive green graphic design tee, a green baseball cap with the word "Worcester" on it embroidered in script, a gold chain necklace, and his two-tone horn-rimmed glasses. His beard is short, and he is smiling broadly. A tattoo on Irwin's right bicep appears to depict the bust of a vaguely feline woman, her face and cleavage on the same broad bodily plane and surrounded with fur, just next and under his daughter's face. A photo of Ryan Michael Irwin and his daughter as they ride the Worcester EcoTraium's Explorer Express Train, during 2024. They both face the camera, which is outside the train. The daughter's face has been intentionally redacted. Irwin wears an olive green graphic design tee, a green baseball cap with the word "Worcester" on it embroidered in script, a gold chain necklace, his two-tone horn-rimmed glasses, olive green camo shorts, and what appear to be black Crocs. Irwin smiles faintly toward the camera, his smartphone in his lap. Several of his tattoos are visible along his arms and neck. The combination heart-and-triquetra on the right side of his neck has been printed over with a valknut. On the back of his right hand is an angrily grinning skull wreathed in flames. Above that on his right forearm is a puzzle piece, depicting what appears to be a cloudy sky. Toward his right elbow is a large dove. On the inside of his left elbow is what appears to be a highly stylized face surrounded by large white stars, a grid pattern being chewed between its jaws.

Irwin’s Meta handle is a layered dogwhistle of neo-Nazi leanings, referring to the fabled Hyperborean race that esoteric Nazis believe are ancestors to the Aryan race, the hooligan firms on which Chris Hood claimed he styled NSC-131, and the usual “HH” initialism.

A screenshot of the header to an Instagram account. The handle is "Hyperborean Hooligan," with the name down as "Brian Erwin." The profile photo is of Irwin and his family in their Winnie-the-Pooh-themed costumes. The only post is Irwin, in black-and-white, holding a baby. The faces of everyone who isn't Irwin have been intentionally redacted. A screenshot of the header to a Threads account. The handle is "Hyperborean Hooligan," with the name down as "Brian Erwin." The profile photo is of Irwin and his girlfriend, whose face has been intentionally redacted, dressed in cold-weather clothes. 

On social media, I think it’s clear Irwin talks like a neo-Nazi trying to pass himself off as a Trumpist conservative.

A screen shot of a post on Threads, by Irwin as "Hyperborean Hooligan," dated September 11th, 2024. It is a basic text-and-photo meme. The text above reads "Remember when illegal aliens who ate cats was fiction. Good times." The image is of the sci-fit sitcom character Alf, with a cat in between two halves of a French loaf. A screen shot of a post on Threads, by Irwin as "Hyperborean Hooligan," dated October 14th, 2024. It is a set of emojis accompanying a basic text-and-photo dialogue meme. The emojis are a face making a salute, following by two hands pinching upward emojis. The photo is of James Ganfolfini in a kitchen wearing a robe, likely depicting the character of Tony Soprano, with a woman out of focus in the background. The text above reads "He was a brave Italian explorer." The text below reads "And in this house, Christopher Columbus is a hero. End of story."

Not to mention that the logo for Irwin’s pet supply business incorporates a stylized pine tree, an otherwise innocuous image favored by NSC-131 and various other New-England-local neo-Nazis.

A screen shot of a post on Threads, by Irwin as "Hyperborean Hooligan," dated October 7th, 2024. It's text by Irwin followed by a link outward to a Shopify website called "Northeast Pet." The text reads "I would greatly appreciate it if you guys could check my store out! It's still a work in progress but I have a few things I think you might like! Thank you !!" The logo for the store is a paw cut-out revealing a green pine tree design behind it.

Anyway, Irwin himself stated via his Threads account that he began attending college on September 4th of this year. There are a number of local colleges with that start date: Quinsigamond CC, Worcester State, Framingham State, and others. I don’t know which one for certain!

A screen shot of a text post on Threads, by Irwin as "Hyperborean Hooligan," dated September 5th, 2024. It reads "Guess who starts college today?!" A screen shot of a text post on Threads, by Irwin as "Hyperborean Hooligan," dated October 15th, 2024. It reads "Going to College in 2024 with all these Gen Z kids is wild," followed by a weeping face emoji.

Irwin’s choice to attend college appears to be one made toward the goal of bettering his career, ability to contribute to his families, and desire to be a better father than his own, a veneer that clashes with an established pattern of alleged violence from his intimate partners and others.

A screen shot of an image post on Threads, by Irwin as "Hyperborean Hooligan," dated October 5th, 2024. The image features two separate still frames of Cuban-American stand-up comedian Joey Diaz speaking, side-to-side, with a quote underneath. The text of the quote, utilizing a considerable amount of l33t speak corrected for this text, says "Adult children don't just wake up one day & say 'I'm done with my parent. I don't ever want to speak to them again.' Making that decision usually takes many failed attempted to heal the relationship." The quote is attributed to Diaz. A screen shot of an image post on Threads, by Irwin as "Hyperborean Hooligan," dated October 10th, 2024. The image is formatted as a simple text-and-image meme. The text above reads "Me any my dad sharing some great memories," followed by a relieved face emoji. The image underneath is a set of gray rectangles, formatted as if a small image gallery with the graphics removed or redacted.
A screen shot of a text post on Threads, by Irwin as "Hyperborean Hooligan," dated four days previous from the time of their capture. It reads "Being able to confidently take and pass a test with all these complex math problems I could NEVER even pass in high school is definitely something I'll pat myself on the back for. Probably because my life and career depend on my classes this time. Either way I'm killing it and I was originally scared as fuck to have to take fucking Algebra again. But somehow I actually was able to wrap my mind around it." The statement is followed by a smiling emoji with its eyes closed, as well as an emoji of a face wearing a beagle puss. A screen shot of a text post on Threads, by Irwin as "Hyperborean Hooligan," dated October 3rd, 2024. The text reads "I'm so literally disgusted at the court system. Men are immediately assumed to be lying. I see it time after time."

That said, I don’t believe there was ever a point where Irwin made peace with the people and communities he helped NSC-131 terrorize. I’m of the belief that one doesn’t get to participate in neo-Nazi events as a neo-Nazi and then just move on. Damocles has to learn.

It’s up to Irwin’s communities to hold him to account, to decide if they’ll forgive his past conduct & tolerate his presence for his children’s sakes, or if they’ll do like UMass-Lowell to NSC-131 organizer Liam MacNeil before him, or like Springfield ME to Blood Tribe founder “Topher” Pohlhaus likewise.

Be advised that Irwin likely walks his dog, a male Jack Russell terrier whom I’ll also opt not to identify, in downtown Worcester on the regular, and that if he overhears your conversations he’s probably judging you!

A screen shot of a text post on Threads, by Irwin as "Hyperborean Hooligan," dated October 4th, 2024. The text reads "The conversations my ears get assaulted with walking my dog downtown are things I wish I could unhear," followed by a weeping face emoji. A recomposed screenshot from a blog dedicated to the ownership of Jack Russell terriers. The title of the blog post, with punctuation mistakes corrected, is "Jack Russell: An Owner's Best Friend!" There's a table of contents with several links further into the post. A section header titled "Me and my [redacted dog's name] boy on our way to the St. Patty's Day parade!" It is the seventh of twelve such items in the table of contents. The page has been edited so this section is directly under the introduction, itself under the table of contents; it is simply the photo of Irwin before or during March 2020, holding his dog in his lap in the back of a car.

Good luck to the folks in Worcester County MA that have to interact with known NSC-131 member Ryan Michael Irwin, especially to his own children. I hope the social decisions that might have to be made in light of this new information are not difficult ones to make. ∴