Veteran Chicago PD star takes leave of absence over ‘personal matter’

The Adam Ruzek actor is expected back later this season

Longtime Chicago P.D. star Patrick John Flueger is taking a leave of absence from the NBC police drama to deal with a personal matter, according to multiple reports.

Flueger, 41, has played Officer Adam Ruzek on all 13 seasons of Dick Wolf’s Chicago-based procedural, and has also made several appearances on Chicago Med and Chicago Fire.

Deadline was the first to report that Flueger was taking an unexpected break and that scripts were being rewritten to account for his absence. Sources told the publication that the actor has been going through a difficult period personally and that there was an instance of alcohol use on set.

The Independent has contacted Flueger’s representatives and NBC for comment.

Chicago P.D., currently four episodes into its 13th season, follows the men and women of the Chicago Police Department’s Intelligence Unit, led by Sergeant Hank Voight (Jason Beghe).

The unit investigates major crimes such as organized gangs, drug trafficking, murders, and high-profile cases.

Patrick John Flueger has appeared as Officer Adam Ruzek on ‘Chicago PD’ since its inception in 2014 (NBC)

Flueger’s character married his longtime love interest, Detective Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati), in the season 12 finale. The TV couple share a daughter, Makayla, whom they adopted in season 8.

Flueger is expected to return later this season.

“I think one of the main strongholds of Chicago P.D. is the Burzek relationship,” Squerciati shared in a One Chicago interview with her P.D. husband-to-be earlier this year.

“I’ve got to thank the fans for fighting for Burzek the entire time,” Flueger said. “Because they tried to break us up, and the fans came in and said, ‘No, thank you.’

“So we got back together, I think because of the fans, honestly,” Squerciati echoed.

In Season 13, the Intelligence Unit is reeling from the consequences of Deputy Chief Charlie Reid’s death — a situation that Voight had a major hand in creating. Now that the team has been reinstated and is back on duty, Ruzek and Burgess are trying to balance their marriage, parenting and police work.

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NBC’s One Chicago franchise has demonstrated compassion to actors who require a leave of absence in the past. Chicago Fire star Taylor Kinney took a 10-month hiatus from the firefighter drama in 2023 after similarly needing to “deal with a personal matter.”

Chicago P.D. airs Wednesdays at 10pm ET/PT on NBC.