Mark Sanchez, NFL analyst and former Jets QB, now facing felony charges after stabbing

Former Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is facing a felony charge following his altercation with 69-year-old truck driver Perry Tole early Saturday morning in Indianapolis.

Sanchez, 38, has been charged with a Level 5 felony of battery involving serious bodily injury, Marion County, Indiana, prosecutor Ryan Mears announced at a news conference with Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Chris Bailey on Monday morning. The charge carries a potential penalty of 1 to 6 years in prison. Mears said they are still in the early stages of investigation.

Tole is suing Sanchez, a Fox Sports broadcaster, for “assault/battery” and the Fox Corporation for “negligent hiring, retention, and supervision,” according to Indiana court records filed Monday afternoon. He is suing for compensatory and punitive damages.

Sanchez was in Indianapolis to call Sunday’s game between the Colts and the Las Vegas Raiders.

"We are literally talking about people fighting over a parking space, or a dispute about where people are parking, and it resulted in someone receiving just incredibly significant injuries," Mears said.

The lawsuit states that Tole was performing his duties as “an employee of a company specializing in commercial cooking oil recycling and disposal at the loading dock area of the Westin Hotel” when he was approached by a seemingly intoxicated Sanchez, who said he spoke to the hotel manager and that Tole could not be at the location.

Sanchez then entered Tole’s truck without permission and blocked him from using his cellphone to contact his manager, according to the lawsuit. The situation escalated when Sanchez “physically blocked and shoved” Tole, who used pepper spray in self-defense. But Sanchez continued toward Tole, resulting in a physical altercation that left the latter with head, jaw and neck injuries.

Tole alleged that, because of Sanchez’s actions, he has “suffered severe permanent disfigurement, loss of function, other physical injuries, emotional distress, and other damages.” He also claimed that the Fox Corporation “knew or should have known” about “Sanchez’s unfitness as an employee, propensity for drinking and/or harmful conduct.”

James Voyles, who is one of Sanchez's attorneys, declined to comment on the case, according to The Associated Press.

Sanchez, who was hospitalized after being stabbed multiple times in the altercation, previously was charged with three misdemeanors: battery with injury, unlawful entry of a motor vehicle and public intoxication. Mears said he received an amended probable cause affidavit Monday that led to the additional charge. According to a police affidavit, Sanchez smelled of alcohol when he accosted Tole, who pulled out a knife to defend himself in a confrontation outside the vehicle.

FOX59 published pictures of the bloodied truck driver, who had a sizable gash on his left cheek and was wearing a neck brace.

Sanchez remained hospitalized and was listed in stable condition as of Monday morning, according to The Associated Press.

“I want to be clear about this,” Bailey said. “I don't care who you are. I don't care what you do for a living. I don't care where you live. If you come into our city [and] commit violence, we will use all the tools at our disposal to hold you accountable.”

By Ben Dickson

benjamin.dickson@newsday.com@bendickson__

Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.