Paul Pelosi Involved in Hit-and-Run, Was Found on Nearby Road with Heavily Damaged Car, Muddled Memory

Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is facing a recommended misdemeanor charge after authorities say he struck a parked vehicle in Napa Valley and left the scene.

The incident marks the second reported vehicle accident involving Pelosi in four years. His 2022 crash resulted in a DUI plea, though authorities said alcohol was not a factor in Friday’s collision.

According to The Associated Press, Pelosi was driving in Yountville, California, a Napa Valley town located roughly 10 miles south of the Pelosi family’s vineyard in St. Helena, when the crash occurred.

The AP reported that “he struck a legally parked car on the side of the road, briefly stopped and then drove away, the Napa County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Saturday. There were no reported injuries.”

The New York Post reported that the impact was strong enough to knock the parked vehicle’s tire onto the curb.

Pelosi, 86, was later located by law enforcement a short distance from the scene after a witness called 911. When sheriff’s deputies arrived, they observed what the AP described as “severe damage” to the front of Pelosi’s convertible. Pelosi reportedly acknowledged that he had hit something, but said he was unsure when or where the damage happened.

Given his prior DUI case, alcohol was an obvious question. However, preliminary testing showed a blood alcohol reading of 0.00.

“Driving Under the Influence was ruled out,” police said in a statement.

The AP first reported that Pelosi could face charges, while the New York Post reported that charges would be recommended. Police said Pelosi was not taken into custody.

That, authorities noted, “is common for this type of offense, in accordance with misdemeanor arrest laws spelled out in 853.6 of the California Penal Code.”

That provision states that if “a person is arrested for an offense declared to be a misdemeanor, including a violation of a city or county ordinance, and does not demand to be taken before a magistrate, that person shall, instead of being taken before a magistrate, be released.”

Pelosi will also be referred to the California Department of Motor Vehicles for a reevaluation. Both outlets noted that such referrals are common for older drivers when questions arise about their ability to operate a vehicle safely.

The Napa County Sheriff’s Office said it is recommending Pelosi be charged with property damage hit-and-run with no bodily injury, a misdemeanor.

The Pelosi family, meanwhile, offered a brief statement and declined further comment.

“Mr. Paul Pelosi has personally apologized to the owner of the vehicle and assured them that he would take responsibility for the damage to their vehicle,” a statement from a spokesperson for the Pelosi family told the Post.

“Speaker Pelosi will not be commenting further on this private matter.”

The latest incident comes after Pelosi’s 2022 DUI arrest, which followed a nighttime crash involving his Porsche and a Jeep in Napa, California, according to CNN. Pelosi ultimately spent two days in jail.

Authorities said Paul Pelosi was driving the sports car “while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage and a drug and under their combined influence.” He also reportedly handed officers an “11-99 Foundation” card along with his license when they arrived. The foundation provides emergency assistance and scholarships to California Highway Patrol families.

The criminal complaint alleged that Pelosi was “showing signs of impairment” at the scene and that he “was the proximate cause of the collision.”

Months after that DUI case, Pelosi was attacked inside his home by David Wayne DePape, a 42-year-old man who had been looking for Nancy Pelosi, who was not home at the time.

Video of that attack, later released by court order, fueled public questions about Pelosi’s condition before the assault occurred. Pelosi also reportedly told 911 that the intruder was a “friend.”

For ordinary Americans, the case raises a familiar question: whether politically connected families are treated with the same level of scrutiny as everyone else. While authorities said DUI was ruled out in this latest crash, the recommended hit-and-run charge now places Paul Pelosi back in the public spotlight, once again forcing uncomfortable questions about accountability, privilege, and equal treatment under the law.