FACING THE MUSIC

Ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers Guitarist Learns His Fate for Vehicular Manslaughter Case

The musician will not serve jail time for running over a pedestrian in California last year.

Josh Klinghoffer, the former guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, will avoid jail time for accidentally killing a pedestrian in 2024. Klinghoffer, who played with the band from 2009 to 2019, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence on Wednesday. He will now serve one year of informal probation and 60 days of community labor. On March 18, 2024, Klinghoffer, 45, ran over Israel Sanchez, a 47-year-old pedestrian, in Alhambra, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. Sanchez later died of his injuries. Though he initially pleaded not guilty, without a plea deal, Klinghoffer faced up to a year in prison for the accidental killing. Instead, in addition to his probation and community service, the guitarist will complete a driving safety course and pay restitution to Sanchez’s family. While the criminal trial is over, Sanchez’s family has also filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging Klinghoffer was using a cell phone “mere seconds” before the collision and made “no braking or slowing motion,” challenging police reports that he was not using a device at the time. In 2012, Klinghoffer became the youngest-ever Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee when he was inducted alongside the band. He is now a touring member of both Pearl Jam and Jane’s Addiction.