Firefighter Involved In Deadly Hit-And-Run In South OC Indicted

DANA POINT, CA — A veteran firefighter was indicted on a felony charge for a hit-and-run incident that left one pedestrian dead in Dana Point, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Jeffrey Richard Grasinger, 36, was indicted by the Orange County Grand Jury on one felony count of hit-and-run with permanent injury or death. He faces a maximum sentence of four years in state prison if convicted.

Grasinger served as a firefighter with the Orange County Fire Authority for 13 years. He was released on his own recognizance over the objection of prosecutors who argued for bail, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement.

A recognizance is a type of bail, in which an accused is released from pre-trial detention with an incentive to ensure that they will appear before the court to face charges on a set day in the future.

Grasinger is scheduled to be arraigned on Nov. 17 at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana in Department C5.

Grasinger’s attorney Paul Meyer told Patch, “Mr. Grasinger has been a dedicated firefighter for 13 years and has risked his life many times to save countless citizens. He is not guilty of the charges.”

The hit-and-run happened on Oct. 21, 2022 at around 6:45 p.m. on Pacific Coast Highway in Dana Point, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

Grasinger is accused of hitting a man crossing an intersection on Pacific Coast Highway.

The victim, later identified as 24-year-old Said Darinel Sanchez, was struck by Grasinger's vehicle with such force that his body was sent airborne, authorities said. According to prosecutors, Sanchez went airborne, spun through the air and fell head-first into the pavement.

Video that captured the crash showed the vehicle hitting its breaks before colliding with Sanchez, hitting the victim, deactivating its brakes and then leaving without stopping, prosecutors said.

OCSD investigators tracked the vehicle to a Rancho Santa Margarita home and found blood on the front-end of the vehicle and damage to the vehicle consistent with hitting a pedestrian.

“Firefighters are public servants who are sworn to protect the lives of others,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “While another driver stopped to render aid after witnessing the collision, Mr. Grasinger, a professional firefighter trained to provide medical attention, drove off after hitting a human being. The fact that a sworn firefighter would disregard a human life so callously is not only disturbing; it is criminal.”