Flueger announced his leave of absence on Oct. 22.
Chicago P.D. seems to have gained back a star.
Almost two months after Patrick John Flueger announced that he was taking a leave of absence from the NBC drama, citing personal reasons, the actor was seen back on set with his costars celebrating his birthday.
On Thursday, Flueger’s co-star Marina Squerciati shared a photo of the celebration to her Instagram page, captioning the photo with a simple happy birthday to the actor who plays Adam Ruzek on the show. The photo shows Flueger surrounded by castmates, including co-stars LaRoyce Hawkins and Benjamin Levy Aguilar, and beaming into the camera before a colorful cake, reading “Happy Birthday Paddy.”
The photo was previously featured in the actress’ Instagram Story, along with a video of the on-set birthday celebration with Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” playing over the video. In the video, Flueger walks up to the cake as the cast and crew cheer and serenade him. “Happy birthday to my best friend,” Squerciati wrote over the video.
Squerciati’s post comes almost two weeks after Flueger was featured in a slideshow on the Instagram page of Wolf Entertainment, the production company behind the Law & Order, One Chicago, FBI, and other franchises.
The post featured photos behind the scenes of multiple series, including Chicago P.D., with Flueger posed alongside Aguilar and Arienne Mandi dressed in character. Considering the photo was shared on Dec. 1, it hints that Flueger has been back to work since the beginning of the month.
Flueger has played Adam Ruzek since 2014, with his character also appearing on Chicago Fire and Chicago Med. The actor has been a cast member on all 12 seasons so far — one of just four original cast members still on the show, which debuted its 13th season this month.
He was last seen onscreen as Ruzek in the Oct. 29 episode of the series, with his onscreen absence having yet to be explained.
Chicago P.D. aired its fall finale on Nov. 12 and returns with its midseason premiere on Jan. 7, 2026, at 10/9c.
