Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul faces hit-and-run charges after California crash causes 'major damage'

NAPA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: The 86-year-old husband of Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is facing possible misdemeanor charges in connection with a hit-and-run crash in Northern California that left a car with “major” damage.

Paul Pelosi, a San Francisco-based businessman, was driving his brown convertible in Yountville, California, when he struck a car that was parked legally on the side of the road.

The crash took place around 2:30 pm on Friday, June 03 when Napa County Sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of a hit-and-run on the 6700 block of Yount Street.

Paul Pelosi briefly stopped following the crash and then ran away

The eyewitness who reported the crash told deputies a brown convertible traveling north on Yount Street crashed into an unoccupied, legally parked vehicle, causing major rear damage.

The intensity of the crash was so severe that it pushed the front right tyre onto the curb, authorities said.

The witness said the vehicle briefly stopped and then drove away.

They directed authorities to Pelosi's whereabouts, and a short time later, the California Highway Patrol found him partially blocking the roadway in his brown convertible. The car had significant damage to the front right side of the vehicle. 

He told officers that he knew he had hit something but was unsure when or what. Police said alcohol was not a factor in the crash after Pelosi underwent a preliminary alcohol screening test, which showed a blood alcohol level of 0.00. As a result, authorities ruled out driving under the influence.

Police did not arrest Pelosi, which they said “is common for this type of offense, in accordance with misdemeanor arrest laws spelled out in 853.6 of the California Penal Code.”

A spokesperson for the Napa County Sheriff's Office told The California Post that authorities are recommending a misdemeanor charge of hit-and-run involving property damage with no bodily injury, in accordance with California Vehicle Code 20002.

A spokesperson for the Pelosis also reflected on the crash, noting Paul “has personally apologized to the owner of the vehicle and assured them that he would take responsibility for the damage to their vehicle.”

Paul Pelosi’s history of crashes

The incident is the latest in a series of driving-related mishaps involving Paul Pelosi. Previously, he was also arrested for DUI after a crash in Napa County in May 2022.

At the time, the then-82-year-old had been leaving a dinner in Oakville with a longtime Democratic donor when he got into a black 2021 Porsche 911 around 10 pm to drive six miles to his Napa Valley country house.

Pelosi was attempting to cross State Route 29 when his car was struck by an oncoming Jeep. Authorities later measured his blood alcohol content at 0.082%, and he subsequently pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury.

Pelosi pleaded guilty in August 2022 and was sentenced to five days in jail. He was also ordered to pay $6,800 in fines and restitution, complete a DUI education program, and serve three years of probation.

In 1957, when he was 16, he flipped his sports car and killed his older brother while driving near San Mateo south of San Francisco. His brother David, 19, who was a passenger, had urged him to drive slower before the fatal incident, according to a patrolman quoted by the San Francisco Examiner.

The tragic accident occurred in the early morning hours in February 1957, when the siblings decided to take a joyride instead of heading home. The car reportedly somersaulted and ended up upside-down on the shoulder of a road.