Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist receives probation for crash that killed pedestrian

The former guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers will not serve jail time for a 2024 vehicle crash that killed a man walking in an crosswalk in Alhambra, California.

Josh Klinghoffer, 45, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence in Alhambra court on Wednesday and was sentenced to one year of informal probation and 60 days of community labor. He also received 12 months probation, as well as a required driver safety class and court-ordered restitution. Alhambra is located just west of Los Angeles. 

A lawsuit filed by the family of 47-year-old Israel Sanchez accuses Klinghoffer of distracted driving when Sanchez was killed. Video released by attorneys representing the victim's family shows the March 18, 2024, crash in which the driver gets out of the vehicle and stays with the victim before police arrive. 

The lawsuit does not accuse Klinghoffer of hit-and-run, as the video clearly shows a driver tending to the person hit, but alleges that Klinghoffer was not paying attention while driving. An attorney for Klinghoffer called it a "tragic accident" and said he fully cooperated with investigators.

"This was a tragic accident," attorney Andrew Brettler said in an earlier statement. "After the car struck the pedestrian, Josh immediately pulled over, stopped the vehicle, called 911, and waited until police and the ambulance arrived."  

According to the lawsuit, Klinghoffer was driving a black 2022 GMC Yukon with no license plates. A still captured from the video moments before the crash shows the driver on a cellphone or some other device, the lawsuit alleges. 

The lawsuit states "He (Sanchez) stopped at the corner and made sure the oncoming traffic had cleared and his path was safe … (he) took eight full strides within the marked crosswalk" just before being struck and killed.

Sanchez suffered blunt force trauma and died from his injuries a little less than three hours later at the hospital. The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount in damages.

Klinghoffer played guitar with the Red Hot Chili Peppers from 2009 to 2019, and has also played with Pearl Jam and Jane's Addiction.