Paul Pelosi, 86, the husband of Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi, has been charged with a misdemeanor following an alleged hit-and-run incident on Thursday afternoon in Yountville, California. The Napa County Sheriff's Department stated that Pelosi admitted to striking something but claimed he was unaware of what he had hit and continued driving.
The incident occurred shortly after 2:30 p.m. when Pelosi was driving a brown convertible and collided with an unoccupied parked car on the shoulder of a roadway. He reportedly continued driving until his vehicle became disabled and stopped, blocking an intersection. The location is near the vineyard estate he shares with Nancy Pelosi in St. Helena.
Authorities identified the vehicle involved as belonging to Pelosi. His car sustained significant damage to the front right side, while the parked car he hit also required substantial repairs to its rear. Pelosi was not arrested at the scene but was charged with a single count of hit-and-run on a parked vehicle.
In addition to the hit-and-run charge, Pelosi's driver's license will be referred to the Department of Motor Vehicles for re-evaluation due to his age, a common procedure for elderly drivers. Napa Valley police sources indicated that the vehicle Pelosi hit was a 2014 Jeep, which sustained major collision damage.
This marks the second encounter with law enforcement in Yountville for Paul Pelosi. In 2022, he was arrested for driving under the influence after crashing his 2021 Porsche. He subsequently pleaded guilty and received three years of probation.
Pelosi's driving history also includes a serious accident in his youth. When he was 16, he was involved in a single-car crash that resulted in the death of his 19-year-old brother, David. A newspaper report from the time indicated that Paul would be cited for misdemeanor manslaughter, but a coroner's jury ultimately exonerated him. According to a patrolman quoted in the San Francisco Examiner, David had urged his brother to slow down before the fatal crash.
Pelosi, a successful businessman, has been married to Nancy Pelosi, a prominent figure in U.S. politics and the former Speaker of the House. Their financial portfolio includes significant real estate holdings and investments in various companies.