Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, faces misdemeanour charges after his car hit a parked vehicle in California

Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was involved in a hit-and-run in California's Napa County and could face misdemeanour charges, authorities said on Saturday (local time).

The incident occurred on Friday (local time) when Paul Pelosi was driving a brown convertible in the wine-country town of Yountville. According to a statement from the Napa County Sheriff's Office, he hit a legally parked vehicle, stopped briefly, and then drove away. According to AP, authorities said there were no reported injuries; however, the parked car suffered "major" damage.

Here's what we know

A witness who saw the collision called 911, following which sheriff's deputies found Pelosi's husband with damage to the front of his car on a road nearly a quarter of a mile away. Citing a press release, NBC News said, "The witness provided deputies with the direction the suspect vehicle was last seen traveling," and added, "A short time later, deputies observed a [California Highway Patrol] vehicle parked behind a brown convertible car, which was partially blocking the roadway."

The report suggests that Paul Pelosi informed officers that he knew he had hit something but wasn't sure when or what had caused the damage. According to a press release, "Pelosi admitted to hitting something, but said he did not know what he had hit, so he kept driving," adding, "He drove until his car became disabled and was no longer able to continue driving."

According to a statement from the Sheriff's Office, the 86-year-old was not driving under the influence of alcohol. He was subsequently referred to the Department of Motor Vehicles for an evaluation to determine whether he remains fit to drive, a standard procedure for older motorists, officials said.

According to a release, Paul Pelosi was not arrested, and because there were no reported injuries, the Sheriff's Office recommended a misdemeanor charge for fleeing the scene of an accident.

Commenting on the incident, a spokesperson for the Pelosi family said, "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."

Paul Pelosi's previous car crash

This is the second time that Paul Pelosi has been involved in a car crash. Earlier, in 2022, he pleaded guilty to a driving under the influence (DUI) charge in California's Napa County. He was sentenced to five days in jail and three years of probation. According to media reports, Pelosi stayed in jail for just two days and received good conduct credit for the remaining two days, leaving just one day to serve in a work programme at the courthouse.

As part of his probation, Pelosi was ordered to complete a three-month drunk driving education programme and install an ignition interlock device, which requires drivers to provide a breath sample before the vehicle can be started. He was also directed to pay nearly $5,000 in restitution to cover the victim's medical expenses and lost income, in addition to almost $2,000 in fines.

(with agency inputs)