Former Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez drunkenly attacked a 69-year-old delivery driver before being stabbed by him in self-defense, Indianapolis police said in court documents released Sunday.
Sanchez, 38, was hospitalized early Saturday after the stabbing in downtown Indianapolis. He was arrested at the hospital later that day but remained at the facility in stable condition.
The former Jets first-round pick was formally charged Sunday with battery resulting in injury, public intoxication and unlawful entry of a motor vehicle, all misdemeanors.
“This incident should never have happened,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement. “What began as a disagreement between a 38-year-old former professional athlete and a 69-year-old man should not have escalated into violence or left anyone seriously injured.”
The dispute began in the early minutes of Saturday after the deliveryman parked his vehicle in an alley between two hotels, according to charging documents. Surveillance video shows Sanchez approaching the truck and opening the driver’s door, cops said.
“Mr. Sanchez told [the driver] that he could not be there [at the loading dock] and that he [Sanchez] had spoken to the manager of the hotel,” prosecutors wrote in a probable cause affidavit.
The driver is an employee with a company that deals with commercial cooking oil recycling and disposal and he parked at the loading dock of the Westin hotel, police said. During the interaction, the driver was confused because he did not have his hearing aids in — but he smelled alcohol on Sanchez’s breath, he told investigators.
During his conversation with Sanchez, the driver got out of his vehicle and walked around, seeking nearby security, cops said. When he tried to get back into his vehicle, Sanchez blocked him and shoved him to the ground, he told police.
According to reports, the incident occurred in an alley and loading dock in between two hotels in downtown Indianapolis. (Google)
After a brief struggle in which Sanchez struck the man and threw him to the ground, the driver attempted to pepper-spray Sanchez, cops said. However, the driver told police Sanchez was unaffected by the spray.
The man told police it was at that point he thought, “This guy is trying to kill me” and pulled the knife, stabbing Sanchez multiple times.
Photos of the truck driver, shared with Indianapolis Fox affiliate WXIN by his family, showed a massive gash on the left side of his face and blood covering his body as he lay in a hospital bed with a neck brace.
First responders found Sanchez in a bar next to the alley around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday and he has been hospitalized since. He was in Indianapolis as part of Fox Sports’ broadcast team for Sunday’s Las Vegas Raiders at Indianapolis Colts game. Brady Quinn replaced Sanchez on the call, and the Colts won handily.
Originally Published: October 5, 2025 at 12:02 PM EDT
