The former “Saturday Night Live” cast member faced a reckless driving charge in California. His father, a New York City firefighter, was killed responding to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Pete Davidson, the comedian, actor and former “Saturday Night Live” cast member, has reached an agreement that allows him to resolve a reckless driving charge in California by doing community service with the New York Fire Department, officials said on Monday.
Mr. Davidson is a Staten Island native whose father, Scott, was a New York City firefighter who died while responding to the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 — an experience that helped inform Mr. Davidson’s 2020 film, “The King of Staten Island.”
The reckless driving charge, a misdemeanor, was filed against Mr. Davidson last month by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. It said he crashed a Mercedes-Benz into a house near Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills in March, The Los Angeles Times reported. No one was injured, The Times reported.
On July 19, a judge placed Mr. Davidson into an 18-month diversion program, according to a statement from the district attorney’s office on Monday. He must pay restitution, attend 12 hours of traffic school, visit a morgue to learn about what happens to victims of reckless driving, and perform 50 hours of community service.
Mr. Davidson’s lawyer has indicated that the community service “is likely to be completed at” the New York Fire Department, the statement said. Details of the diversion program were reported earlier by TMZ.
A lawyer for Mr. Davidson did not respond to a request for comment.
Amanda Farinacci, a Fire Department spokeswoman, called Mr. Davidson “the son of a 9/11 hero” and, without offering details, said the department “would be happy to provide” him a chance to complete his service. (Mr. Davidson can also complete the diversion program’s other terms in New York, the district attorney’s office said.)
A stand-up comic before joining the “Saturday Night Live” cast in fall 2014, Mr. Davidson left the NBC show after the season finale last year. His most recent project is the streaming series “Bupkis.”
Doing his community service in New York could allow Mr. Davidson to check up on another project tied to his Staten Island roots: a decommissioned ferry that he and Colin Jost, a fellow “Saturday Night Live” cast member — and fellow Staten Islander — bought last year with other investors for $280,000.
One vision for the aging vessel involved turning it into what one of the investors called an “arts and entertainment venue.” But Mr. Davidson sounded uncertain about the ferry’s future in an interview with “Entertainment Tonight” last month.
“I have no idea what’s going on with that thing,” he said. “Me and Colin were very stoned a year ago and bought a ferry. And we’re figuring it out.”
Source: Movies - nytimes.com
