Michael Anthony Vitar (born December 21, 1978) is an American firefighter and former actor who appeared as Benjamin Franklin "Benny the Jet" Rodriguez in The Sandlot and Luis Mendoza in the final two Mighty Ducks films. He started acting at the age of 12 when a casting manager spotted him in line for a ride at a school carnival. He retired from acting after 1997.
He has two older siblings. His older brother, Pablo, played the older version of his character, Benny, in The Sandlot, after which he joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1996. Pablo died due to colon cancer on January 29, 2008. He also has an older sister, Elizabeth.
On October 31, 2015, Vitar and two other firefighters confronted 22-year-old Samuel Chang, who was handing out candy in their neighborhood to trick-or-treaters. They wrongly accused him of handing out drug-laced candy, and then chased Chang, until catching him and pinning him to the ground. Vitar and another firefighter helped pin Chang to the ground, while another held him in a chokehold until Chang fell unconscious. They performed CPR until paramedics arrived, and Chang was hospitalized for weeks. Vitar and the others were charged with felony assault. Against the will of the Chang family, Vitar was allowed to plea no contest to a reduced charge of misdemeanor battery, and was suspended without pay for six months. He has since returned to full duty.[3]
References
^"Mike Vitar, 'Sandlot' Star Turned Los Angeles Firefighter, Adored by Internet". LA Weekly. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
mike, vitar, michael, anthony, vitar, born, december, 1978, american, firefighter, former, actor, appeared, benjamin, franklin, benny, rodriguez, sandlot, luis, mendoza, final, mighty, ducks, films, started, acting, when, casting, manager, spotted, line, ride,. Michael Anthony Vitar born December 21 1978 is an American firefighter and former actor who appeared as Benjamin Franklin Benny the Jet Rodriguez in The Sandlot and Luis Mendoza in the final two Mighty Ducks films He started acting at the age of 12 when a casting manager spotted him in line for a ride at a school carnival He retired from acting after 1997 Mike VitarBornMichael Anthony Vitar 1978 12 21 December 21 1978 age 44 Los Angeles California U S Occupation s Firefighter 2002 present Actor 1990 1997 Years active1990 1997He has two older siblings His older brother Pablo played the older version of his character Benny in The Sandlot after which he joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1996 Pablo died due to colon cancer on January 29 2008 He also has an older sister Elizabeth He attended St Francis High School in La Canada California from which he graduated in 1997 Starting in 1996 he worked for Gerber Ambulance in Torrance as an EMT from which he moved into his career as a firefighter 1 Since 2002 he has been a firefighter for the Los Angeles Fire Department 2 He currently resides in Los Angeles Contents 1 Filmography 2 Legal troubles 3 References 4 External linksFilmography EditThe Sandlot 2 2005 Benjamin Franklin The Jet Rodriguez Flashback scene Chicago Hope 1 episode 1997 Carlos Lunes D3 The Mighty Ducks 1996 Luis Mendoza NYPD Blue 1996 Teenager D2 The Mighty Ducks 1994 Luis Mendoza The Sandlot 1993 Benjamin Franklin Benny the Jet Rodriguez Sunset Grill 1993 Luis Brooklyn Bridge 1 episode 1991 Anthony Gambuzza Diplomatic Immunity 1991 I ArturoLegal troubles EditOn October 31 2015 Vitar and two other firefighters confronted 22 year old Samuel Chang who was handing out candy in their neighborhood to trick or treaters They wrongly accused him of handing out drug laced candy and then chased Chang until catching him and pinning him to the ground Vitar and another firefighter helped pin Chang to the ground while another held him in a chokehold until Chang fell unconscious They performed CPR until paramedics arrived and Chang was hospitalized for weeks Vitar and the others were charged with felony assault Against the will of the Chang family Vitar was allowed to plea no contest to a reduced charge of misdemeanor battery and was suspended without pay for six months He has since returned to full duty 3 References Edit Mike Vitar Sandlot Star Turned Los Angeles Firefighter Adored by Internet LA Weekly Retrieved 13 April 2018 After They Were Famous Archived 2011 07 08 at the Wayback Machine An L A Firefighter choked and seriously injured a man giving out Halloween candy His sentence No jail Los Angeles Times 27 July 2017 External links EditMike Vitar at IMDb Vitar at Yahoo Movies Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mike Vitar amp oldid 1133656161, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
