New York Giants place-kicker Aldrick Rosas was arrested Monday on a hit-and-run charge after California authorities found him walking along a road approximately 1.5 miles away from a crash scene while his “hands, legs, and bare feet were covered in blood.”
Rosas, 25, is suspected of having been impaired by alcohol, according to a California Highway Patrol report provided Tuesday to The Washington Post. He was booked into Butte County Jail on charges of misdemeanor hit and run and driving on suspended license, and was subsequently released with no bail (per the New York Daily News).
“We are aware of the situation and have been in contact with Aldrick,” the Giants said in a statement. “We have no further comment at this time.”
A spokesman for the NFL told The Post that the league declined to comment.
The incident occurred Monday at approximately 8:25 a.m. in Chico, Calif. According to the CHP report, witnesses said they saw a black Chevrolet SUV passing traffic by swerving into the oncoming lane while traveling at an estimated 100 mph.
The vehicle failed to stop at a red light and struck a Ford pickup truck that was in an intersection in what was described as a “T-bone” collision.
While the Ford was immediately disabled, the Chevrolet drove a little further before coming to a stop. The driver of the Chevrolet then “fled the scene on foot,” per the report, while wearing a blue shirt, blue shorts, and no shoes.
After failing to locate the driver at a residence that corresponded to the Chevrolet’s registration, a pair of CHP officers were heading back to the crash site to collect evidence when they spotted a male who matched the driver’s description.
The officers “contacted the male and observed his hands, legs, and bare feet were covered in blood,” stated the report, which added, “The male identified himself as Aldrick Rosas, the registered owner of the Chevrolet SUV.”
After going to a hospital for a medical check, Rosas was booked into jail. A representative of the CHP did not immediately reply to an inquiry about the condition of the driver of the Ford.
Rosas was previously charged with DUI in 2016, according to NJ Advance Media, which reported that the charge was dismissed but that he pleaded guilty to driving with a blood alcohol level of over .08 percent. That incident, for which Rosas was reportedly given 30 months’ probation, occurred in his hometown of Orland, Calif., located approximately 20 miles west of Chico.
The Giants “were aware of a prior arrest prior to him joining [the team],” a person described as familiar with the situation told NJ Advance Media.
After playing at NAIA-level Southern Oregon University, Rosas went undrafted in 2016 before being signed by the Tennessee Titans. He was released before the 2016 season but Rosas beat out Mike Nugent for the Giants’ kicking job the following summer and had a solid NFL debut, making 18 of 25 field goal attempts, including three of three from 50 yards or longer.
Rosas made the Pro Bowl after a 2018 campaign in which he made 32 of 33 field goals, but he dipped to 12 makes in 17 attempts last season. In May, the Giants placed a second-round tender on Rosas, worth approximately $3.3 million in salary for 2020 if he remains on the team’s roster.
“He has some major issues that need addressed, and I hope he gets help,” a former agent for Rosas, Derrick Fox, said of the kicker to the Chico Enterprise-Record. Fox said he represented Rosas through his time with the Giants until their working relationship was recently severed.
Another player for the Giants, cornerback Deandre Baker, pleaded not guilty in May to four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm and four counts of armed robbery, in connection with an alleged incident earlier that month. Baker has been told by the team, per reports, to stay away from its virtual offseason until his legal situation attains more clarity.
The first court date for Rosas is reportedly scheduled for Sept. 4. That’s 10 days before the Giants’ scheduled season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.