Sen. John Fetterman hospitalized after fall near Braddock home

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman was hospitalized Thursday after suffering facial injuries in a fall while walking near his Braddock home, his office posted on social media.

Fetterman was taken to a Pittsburgh hospital “out of an abundance of caution,” according to the post on X.

“During an early morning walk, Senator Fetterman sustained a fall near his home in Braddock,” the post read. “Out of an abundance of caution, he was transported to a hospital in Pittsburgh.”

Fetterman had a heart issue described in the post as a “ventricular fibrillation flare-up” and lightheadedness that precipitated the fall.

According to the Mayo Clinic, ventricular fibrillation is a type of an irregular heart rhythm which impacts the heart’s ability to pump blood to the rest of the body.

Symptoms can include loss of consciousness, chest pain, dizziness, a fast heartbeat, shortness of breath and nausea, the Mayo Clinic’s website said.

Statement from Sen. Fetterman’s Spokesperson:

“During an early morning walk, Senator Fetterman sustained a fall near his home in Braddock.

Out of an abundance of caution, he was transported to a hospital in Pittsburgh.

Upon evaluation, it was established he had a ventricular…

— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) November 13, 2025

The Democratic senator was joking after the incident, according to his office.

“If you thought my face looked bad before, wait until you see it now!” Fetterman said.

On Thursday afternoon, his wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman dismissed concerns.

“He’s totally fine, I’m fine, and that’s it,” she told TribLive.

Fetterman is frequently seen walking in Braddock and at The Waterfront shopping complex in Homestead.

“He is doing well and receiving routine observation at the hospital,” according to the social media post. “He has opted to stay so doctors can fine-tune his medication regimen.”

Fetterman suffered a stroke in May 2022. Then, in 2023, he checked himself into the hospital to receive treatment for depression.

Experts at the time explained that stroke survivors have the highest risk of depression in the first year following a stroke.

Depression following a stroke is typically caused by two factors: damaged brain cells caused by the stroke itself, and psycho-social issues that survivors can have because they are still having difficulties recovering to their normal routines.

He later revealed that he was diagnosed with a heart condition in 2017 and didn’t follow up with a physician for years until he suffered a stroke in 2022.

“Like so many others, and so many men in particular, I avoided going to the doctor, even though I knew I didn’t feel well. As a result, I almost died. I want to encourage others to not make the same mistake,” Fetterman said shortly after he suffered the stroke.

Fetterman, who was elected to the Senate in 2022, was one of eight Democrats who voted “yes” on a deal with Republicans on Monday to end the government shutdown.

Earlier this week, Fetterman appeared on “The View” to discuss fallout from the government shutdown and his new memoir, “Unfettered.” According to Penguin Random House, the book follows Fetterman through his first run for office through his run for Senate, including the details of the stroke that threatened to end his campaign and subsequent depression.

Host Ana Navarro asked Fetterman why he wanted to tell his story.

“I think it’s an important conversation to have,” Fetterman said. “After winning the biggest election in my cycle, that’s when depression really took control in my life. The really bad part of depression is the conversation you really start to have with yourself to take yourself out.”

Fetterman pointed out that the shutdown jeopardized pay for federal workers, airline safety and payment for the military.

“I hope we could all agree that chaos is the wrong response for the kinds of chaos that our nation has been in after the president’s re-election,” he said.