Josh Klinghoffer, the former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist who most recently played as part of Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam’s live lineup, is set to be arraigned for a car accident that killed a pedestrian earlier this year.
According to Deadline, the musician is expected to be arraigned on a misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence in relation to the March 18 incident that left one person dead.
The arraignment has been set for 8:30AM PT in an Alhambra, California, courthouse on Thursday (Sept. 26) morning.
The Court Report
According to court records, Klinghoffer was driving a Black 2022 GMC Yukon on March 18 when his vehicle struck 47-year-old pedestrian Israel Sanchez in a crosswalk. Sanchez was pronounced dead at the Huntington Hospital later that day.
Attorneys for Ashley Sanchez, Israel’s only child, filed a wrongful death and negligence suit against the musician. In the Deadline report, an attorney for Klinghoffer revealed that prosecutors have not alleged that the incident was due to anything but negligence which is why the misdemeanor chart was levied.
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According to TMZ, the suit alleges that Klinghoffer was accused of being distracted behind the wheel when the accident occurred. Klinghoffer was released of his own recognizance after the initial incident.
Klinghoffer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. After his exit in 2019, he has performed with Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam while also filling in for the ailing Dave Navarro in Jane’s Addiction in 2023. He’s also released music under his solo band moniker Pluralone.
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Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner
