Paul Pelosi, 86, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was charged Tuesday with misdemeanor hit-and-run after allegedly striking a parked Tesla with his Maserati convertible in Napa County and driving off without stopping.
The Napa County District Attorney’s Office filed the misdemeanor charge Friday, nearly three weeks after the July 3 crash in Yountville, California. Pelosi also faces an infraction for making an unsafe turn during the same incident.
According to the Napa County Sheriff’s Office, a witness saw a brown convertible hit an unoccupied parked vehicle before continuing north. Deputies later found the disabled Maserati blocking a nearby roadway and identified the driver as Pelosi.
During the investigation, Pelosi told deputies he knew he had hit something but said he did not know what it was. He said he intended to return to the scene after his vehicle became disabled roughly a half mile from the crash site.
“The investigation also determined that no alcohol (.00 on Preliminary Alcohol Screening Device) was detected upon testing, therefore Driving Under the Influence was ruled out,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Authorities said investigators determined Pelosi was responsible for the collision. He was not arrested at the scene, which the sheriff’s office said is standard procedure for this type of misdemeanor. Deputies will refer the case to the Napa County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
The sheriff’s office said it will submit a driver re-evaluation referral to the California DMV, a routine step taken when an elderly driver is involved in a collision.
A spokesperson for the Pelosi family told The California Post that Paul Pelosi “has personally apologized to the owner of the vehicle and assured them that he would take responsibility for the damage.” The statement added that “Speaker Pelosi will not be commenting further on this private matter.”
When approached by Fox News Digital on Tuesday, Nancy Pelosi declined to answer whether she thought the charge against her husband was fair, walking past reporters without responding.
The charge carries a maximum sentence of up to six months in county jail, a fine up to $1,000, or both.
The July 3 crash is the second time in four years Pelosi has faced criminal charges related to a vehicle incident in Napa County. In 2022, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor driving under the influence after crashing into an oncoming Jeep and injuring the driver. He was sentenced to three years of probation, five days in jail, a three-month DUI education program, an ignition interlock device for one year, and fines and restitution to the injured driver.
Unlike the 2022 incident, authorities said alcohol was not a factor in the July 3 crash.
