Key Takeaways
- Jack Sabato, 32, son of Antonio Sabato Jr. and Virginia Madsen, faces felony and misdemeanor charges after Anchorage police arrested him Nov. 9 in connection with a hit-and-run that killed Carl Simmonds, 42.
- Investigators say surveillance footage and vehicle debris linked Sabato’s SUV to the collision; he allegedly told police he thought he hit an animal and didn’t stop because he lacked insurance.
- A judge set Sabato’s bail at $5,000 and barred him from driving at his Nov. 10 arraignment; he remained in custody the morning of Nov. 11.
Antonio Sabato Jr. and Virginia Madsen’s son has been arrested in connection with a fatal hit-and-run in Anchorage, Alaska, after police say investigators traced the vehicle involved in the deadly collision back to him.
Jack Sabato, 32, was arrested Nov. 9 following the death of 42-year-old Carl Simmonds. Anchorage police and medics responded around 5:48 a.m. to reports of an unresponsive man near Airport Heights Drive and Debarr Road, where Simmonds was pronounced dead. Police said their preliminary investigation indicated he had been struck by a vehicle that left the scene.
Sabato now faces a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident without assisting an injured person and a misdemeanor charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving injury or death.
The charging documents, which were obtained by Fox News, reveal that investigators found vehicle debris near Simmonds and obtained surveillance footage from a nearby bank showing a white Chevrolet Tahoe striking him. The footage allegedly showed the SUV failing to brake before or after the collision.
Police ran the vehicle's description through the Alaska Public Safety Information Network and eventually located a matching Tahoe registered to Sabato at an Amazon warehouse in Anchorage. Authorities seized the SUV, which investigators said had fresh damage consistent with a pedestrian collision.
Sabato later contacted police and allegedly told investigators he had been making DoorDash deliveries before the crash. According to the documents, he said he knew he had struck "something" but believed it was an animal.
Sabato reportedly told police he didn't stop because he was driving without insurance and said he planned to report the accident after work.
After his girlfriend informed him that police had seized his SUV, however, Sabato called authorities and said he "knew the worst."
Madsen is the Oscar-nominated actress known for films including Sideways and Candyman, while Antonio Sabato Jr. got one of his earliest major breaks appearing alongside Djimon Hounsou in Janet Jackson's iconic 1990 "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" music video.
Directed by legendary photographer Herb Ritts, the black-and-white visual became one of the defining videos of Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 era and helped introduce Sabato Jr. to a massive audience before his subsequent acting career.
Jack was arraigned Nov. 10, with bail set at $5,000 and a judge ordering him not to drive. The court imposed an additional $5,000 penalty if he fails to appear at future court dates. He remained in custody as of the morning of Nov. 11.
