On Monday, municipal officials announced that Frank Vallelonga Jr., the star of “Green Book,” whose body was discovered abandoned in the Bronx in late November, died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl and cocaine.
The body of Vallelonga, 60, was discovered on November 28 at around 4:00 a.m. outside a sheet metal fabrication plant in Hunts Point, according to police.
At the time, police reported the actor’s body had been dumped from a moving car after what seemed to be an overdose death.
Read more:Â A State Senator Wants to Slow the Building Boom in New Jersey.
The actor’s death was ruled accidental by the city’s Medical Examiner’s Office on Monday, due to “acute intoxication due to the combined effects of fentanyl and cocaine,” a ME representative stated.
Frank Vallelonga Sr., the late actor’s father, was the Copacabana bouncer known as “Tony Lip” whose narrative was told in the 2018 film “Green Book,” which chronicled the journey of the senior Vallelonga as he drove black pianist Don Shirley through the segregated South in 1962.
The title of the film alludes to a guidebook that detailed safe havens for black travelers.
Vallelonga Sr., played by Viggo Mortensen, passed away in 2013. The younger Vallelonga played his uncle, Rudy Vallelonga, in the Oscar-winning film. A 911 caller in late November reported finding Vallelonga Jr.’s body.
The next day, police arrested 35-year-old Steven Smith for hiding a body. Police at the time said they had video of Smith throwing the actor’s body from a car; Smith eventually admitted his involvement but denied murder charges.
According to his criminal complaint, Smith told police that a woman identified only as “Pam” asked him to assist in disposing of the body of an overdose victim.
That guy didn’t have a chance. Smith told police, “He overdosed, I didn’t have anything to do with that.”
Read more:Â More Than 9,000 Professors at Rutgers University Are on Strike.
Nicholas Vallelonga Jr., the owner of the vehicle utilized by Smith, informed police that he had not authorized Smith to drive his 2021 gray Hyundai Elantra.
The Bronx district attorney said that despite Smith’s indictment, he did not appear at his most recent court date.
“A warrant was issued, and when he is picked up, he will be arraigned on an indictment,” the office spokesperson stated.