Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is under investigation after authorities said he struck a parked vehicle and left the scene Friday in Napa County.
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According to the Napa County Sheriff’s Office, the crash occurred around 2:30 p.m. on Yount Street in Yountville. Deputies said an unattended vehicle parked along the roadway sustained heavy rear-end damage.
A witness reported that the driver briefly stopped after the collision before leaving in a brown convertible.
“The witness provided deputies with the direction the suspect vehicle was last seen traveling,” a sheriff’s office news release said, according to NBC News. “A short time later, deputies observed a [California Highway Patrol] vehicle parked behind a brown convertible car, which was partially blocking the roadway.”
Authorities later identified the driver as 86-year-old Paul Pelosi. Investigators said his vehicle had extensive front passenger-side damage.
According to deputies, Pelosi acknowledged striking something but said he did not realize he had hit another vehicle. He told investigators he continued driving until his vehicle became inoperable.
The sheriff’s office said there was no indication alcohol played a role in the incident.
Pelosi was not arrested because California law generally requires misdemeanor offenses to occur in an officer’s presence before a warrantless arrest can be made.
The sheriff’s office said it plans to submit a driver reexamination request to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, a procedure commonly used to evaluate older drivers. Officials also said the case has been forwarded to the Napa County District Attorney’s Office for a charging decision.
The investigation marks Pelosi’s second high-profile traffic incident in Napa County in recent years.
In 2022, Pelosi pleaded guilty to driving under the influence after a late-night collision. He was sentenced to five days in jail.
According to the California Highway Patrol report from that case, Pelosi was driving a 2021 Porsche on Walnut Drive when he entered State Route 29 and collided with a Jeep traveling on the highway.
