Pearl Jam touring member and former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer pled not guilty today (Sept. 26) to a misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence. The musician was not present in the courtroom for the plea, which stems from a criminal charge filed against him after a March 18, 2024, car accident in Alhambra, Ca.
In the incident, Klinghoffer struck pedestrian Israel Sanchez with his GMC Yukon SUV while making a left turn at an intersection. Sanchez, 47, died hours later of blunt force trauma to the head. His family has filed a separate wrongful death suit against Klinghoffer, whom they allege was using a cell phone at the time. The next hearing in that case is scheduled for Oct. 18.
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An attorney for Klinghoffer previously said his client is cooperating fully with investigators and that the incident was “a tragic accident. After Josh struck this pedestrian in the intersection, he immediately pulled over, stopped the car, called 911 and waited until police and the ambulance arrived.” The criminal case will be back in court on Oct. 31.
Klinghoffer played lead guitar in the Chili Peppers from 2009 until 2019, after which he joined Pearl Jam as a touring multi-instrumentalist. He has not missed any of the latter band’s shows in the wake of the accident, but in light of the timing of today’s hearing, it is unknown if he will be on stage this weekend when Pearl Jam plays twice at frontman Eddie Vedder’s Ohana festival in Dana Point, Ca.
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