While Adam Ruzek is usually cracking jokes and chasing bad guys on Chicago P.D., the man who plays him — Patrick John Flueger — vanishes from the spotlight the moment the cameras stop rolling.
In a rare, no-filter interview, the 41-year-old actor finally revealed exactly how he spends his time away from the Intelligence Unit, and his answer has left fans both surprised and impressed.
“I basically disappear,” Flueger said with a grin. “As soon as we wrap for the day or for a hiatus, I’m gone. No red carpets, no parties, no Instagram stories. I go completely off the grid.”
So where does he actually go?
Flueger splits his life between Chicago and a remote cabin he owns in northern Wisconsin. When he’s not filming, he spends weeks at a time in the woods — chopping firewood, fishing, hunting, and living without cell service for days on end. “There’s something about total silence and being surrounded by nature that resets me,” he explained. “After months of high-intensity scenes and emotional rollercoasters on set, I need the opposite. I need quiet.”
He’s also deeply into classic cars and motorcycles. Flueger owns a small collection of vintage bikes and spends hours restoring them in his garage. “Working with my hands is therapy,” he shared. “Taking something broken and making it run again… it’s satisfying in a way acting can’t always be.”
Another surprising passion? Music. Flueger plays drums in a low-key rock band with a few longtime friends (none of them actors). They occasionally play small, secret gigs in dive bars around the Midwest — no announcements, no VIP lists, just pure fun. “We suck sometimes, but we have a blast,” he laughed.
Fatherhood has also become his top priority. Flueger is a dedicated dad and makes sure every break from the show is spent with his children. He coaches their sports teams, goes on camping trips, and teaches them how to build things. “I grew up with very little, so I want them to know how to be self-sufficient and appreciate the simple stuff,” he said.
Unlike many of his One Chicago co-stars who stay active on social media, Flueger keeps an almost non-existent online presence. He rarely posts, never does sponsored content, and prefers real-life connections over digital ones. “I already pretend to be someone else for 12–14 hours a day on set,” he joked. “When I’m off, I just want to be Patrick.”
Even during his recent family-related hiatus in late 2025 (when Ruzek stepped away to care for his father), Flueger used the time to focus entirely on personal life rather than chasing new acting roles.
Fans who have watched him grow from the hot-headed rookie in Season 1 to the loyal, family-man detective he is today now understand why Ruzek feels so authentic — because Patrick John Flueger lives many of those same values off-screen.
So while the rest of the Chicago P.D. cast is doing interviews, photoshoots, and fan events, Flueger is somewhere in the woods, hands dirty, phone off, living the exact opposite of a Hollywood life.
And honestly? That might be the coolest thing about him.