Paul Pelosi, the 86-year-old husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is facing a recommended misdemeanor charge after allegedly striking a parked car and driving away from the scene in Yountville, California.
The incident happened on July 3, when a witness spotted a brown convertible heading northbound on Yount Street hit the rear of a legally parked, unoccupied vehicle. The witness said the driver briefly stopped, then kept going. The parked car suffered serious damage, including a large dent, scratch marks, scattered debris, and a tear to the rear.
Deputies later found a brown convertible with significant front-right damage sitting partially in the roadway on Yountville Cross Road. The driver was identified as Paul Pelosi. Investigators concluded he had continued driving after the collision until the car became too damaged to move.
Pelosi told investigators he felt an impact but did not know what he had hit, so he kept driving until the vehicle became disabled. No injuries were reported.
According to a report, a preliminary alcohol screening showed .00, and investigators ruled out both drugs and alcohol as factors. Pelosi was not arrested at the scene, which the Napa County Sheriff’s Office described as standard procedure in misdemeanor cases not involving injury.
The Sheriff’s Office is recommending a misdemeanor charge of fleeing the scene of an accident and will refer the case to the Napa County District Attorney’s Office for review. As of Sunday, the DA’s office confirmed awareness of the incident but said it had not yet received a formal referral. Officials said any submitted case would be evaluated on its facts, evidence, and applicable law.
Because of Pelosi’s age, a California Department of Motor Vehicles re-evaluation referral is also being submitted, a step officials say is routine for elderly drivers.
A family spokesman issued a brief statement: “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. Speaker Pelosi will not be commenting further on this private matter.”
This is not Pelosi’s first brush with the law behind the wheel. In a separate 2022 incident, also in Napa County, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor driving under the influence. He was sentenced to five days in jail and three years of probation, ultimately serving two days with good conduct credit and one day in a work program. His probation terms included a three-month drinking driver program, an ignition interlock device, roughly $5,000 in victim restitution, and nearly $2,000 in fines.
The latest case now sits with the District Attorney, who will decide whether to move forward with formal charges.