Actor Alexander “AJ” Jennings, who was Chase Stokes’ stand-in on “Outer Banks,” is dead following a hit-and-run involving two cars. He was 22.
The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a press release that at approximately 2:30 am local time on Tuesday, a pedestrian – later revealed to be Jennings – had been struck while crossing a road in North Charleston, SC. The car fled the scene immediately.
Eyewitnesses told authorities that Jennings was then hit by a second car, which also left the scene. The driver of the second car was located during a traffic stop in downtown Charleston shortly after, the release states.
The actor was then transported to The Medical University of South Carolina, where he died as a result of his injuries. The coroner’s office listed his time of death as 3:13 am
No charges have been filed yet, and the driver of the first vehicle remains at large, police announced.
Stokes, who portrays John B in the Netflix series, took to his Instagram Story to mourn the loss of his friend.
“Still trying to process why certain things happen, and why the world works in the ways that it does,” he wrote on Wednesday.
“My heart is shattered. Your life was just starting. We JUST talked about how pumped you were about your tunes, how far you’d come with that ole 6 string and your want to keep creating art. Always always making others hearts warm and being so damn selfless.”
The actor said Jennings’ death was “a struggle to say the least.”
“We all love you, you touched all of our lives and made us all better people and for that, Thank you AJ,” he wrote. “Flying angel.”
Kimmie Stewart Casting also paid tribute to the up-and-coming actor.
“AJ was a beautiful, kind soul and a bright light every day on set,” the agency wrote in a Facebook post.
“He moved to Charleston from New York to work as our John B photo double/stand in this season. I cannot fathom the shock and tragedy of AJ’s sudden loss and our thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time. ”
The buzzy teen series, which also stars Madelyn Cline, is currently filming its third season in Charleston.
Kimmie Stewart Casting noted that Netflix was offering grief counseling to cast and crew members.
“I am still at a loss of words how this happened & cannot imagine the pain his family is going through,” the agency continued.
“We will miss this amazing human & his infectious smile dearly.”
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