Actor Mike Vitar, ‘The Sandlot’s’ Benny ‘The Jet,’ charged with felony assault
Baseball fans everywhere could relate to Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez, one of the main characters in the classic baseball movie “The Sandlot.” When we learned Benny realized his dream of playing in Major League Baseball, there was a collective feeling of joy and hope that we too could follow in the character’s footsteps.
Unfortunately, the actor who brought that fantastic character to life, Mike Vitar, has seen his life go in a less glamorous or hopeful direction. According to a Variety report, Vitar is currently facing felony charges for assault with a deadly weapon stemming from an incident on Halloween night.
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Vitar, now a Los Angeles firefighter, along with fellow firefighter Eric Carpenter and another man, Thomas Molnar, were charged after allegedly assaulting a man handing out candy to kids on Halloween. The report was confirmed on Tuesday by a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson.
The trio allegedly became angry after the victim, 22, who was visiting the neighborhood where he grew up, was walking down the street handing out candy to children, and they chased him down the street and attacked him, police and prosecutors said.
Carpenter also allegedly choked the victim after he was forced to the ground, the district attorney’s office said. In addition to assault, Carpenter is charged with personally inflicting great bodily injury, prosecutors said.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said Tuesday that both firefighters, who were off-duty at the time, have been placed on administrative leave with pay as the criminal case proceeds.
“The LAFD is aware of an incident involving two off-duty firefighters that is alleged to have occurred on Saturday, October 31st. The department has cooperated fully with law enforcement during the subsequent investigation,” Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Peter Sanders said.
Vitar was booked on Dec. 3 for the incident, and was later released on $30,000 bail. If convicted, he could face four years in prison.
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Overall, Vitar’s acting career was unremarkable. After breaking on to the scene at age 12 he only landed a handful of roles. Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez was his most notable, though he also appeared in “D2: The Mighty Ducks” and “D3: The Mighty Ducks” in 1994 and 1996. He managed a pretty good following, because as those who grew up in the early 90s can attest, “The Sandlot” and “The Mighty Ducks” were all the rage.
After that initial surge of success, Vitar quietly retired from acting in 1997, last appearing in an episode of Chicago Hope.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
