Comedian Pete Davidson will complete 50 hours of community service after pleading no contest to a reckless driving charge, the Daily Wire reported. The former "Saturday Night Live" star was charged after crashing into a Beverly Hills home earlier this year.
The actor will serve out his sentence by working with the New York City Fire Department. This assignment is significant for Davidson, whose father, Scott, died in the 9/11 terror attacks while serving with the NYFD.
The brave hero was only 33 years old when he lost his life assisting the rescue of people trapped in the ill-fated twin towers. The FDNY released a statement expressing enthusiasm for the younger Davidson's assignment, People reported.
"As the son of a 9/11 hero, we would be happy to provide Mr. Davidson an opportunity to do his required community service," the statement said. This option was part of a diversion program for first offenders.
In addition to the community service hours, Davidson will be required to complete 12 hours of traffic school and tour a morgue or hospital to see the consequences of reckless driving for himself. Completion of the program and meeting certain requirements would mean Davidson will not have a criminal record, a Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson said.
"We believe that Mr. Davidson engaged in reckless driving, which ultimately resulted in his involvement in a serious collision into a home," a spokesperson explained. "Luckily, no one was seriously injured as a result of this collision," the spokesperson continued.
"We know that reckless driving can have devastating consequences." The spokesperson also said that "traffic fatalities in Los Angeles have reached the highest levels seen in 20 years" for the year 2022, according to Fox News.
"This is an alarming trend that we cannot ignore. As a result, it's crucial that we take all allegations of reckless driving seriously and hold those responsible accountable," the spokesperson added.
The comedian's crash occurred on March 4 just after 11 p.m. as Davidson was driving near Rodeo Drive and Elevado Avenue. He lost control of his vehicle and slammed into a fire hydrant and then into the side of a house.
He was with a female passenger thought to be his girlfriend, Chase Sui Wonders, but nobody was injured. "Preliminary investigators believe speed may have been a factor," Lt. Reginald Evans told the media at the time.
Police said alcohol or drugs were not a factor in the crash, however. Davidson's actions only caused property damage this time, but it could have been much worse.
In August 2022, actress Anne Heche similarly crashed her car in a residential neighborhood while driving at a high speed, the New York Post reported. She crashed into a house which sparked a fire that left Heche, 53, with second-degree burns over more than 10% of her body.
She was trapped inside the burning vehicle for half an hour until first responders could extricate her from the wreck. She would later die of "inhalation and thermal injuries" complicated by a fracture of her sternum caused by the crash.
Davidson is fortunate enough to be alive and participate in the court-mandated program. Hopefully, the star has learned his lesson and will use the time to give back to his community in earnest.
