University of Oregon football player Daylen Austin was arrested for connection to a fatal hit and run.

Question

The claim that University of Oregon football player Daylen Austin was arrested for being involved in a fatal hit and run on April 15th is a true claim. ESPN reported on April 17th that Austin had been arrested by Eugene Police Department for a class C felony, and was being held in Lane County Jail. Sports Illustrated reported that Frank William Seaman was the man that had been killed during the hit and run. Adding details that Seaman had been seen harassing Austin previous to the hit and run, throwing baseball sized objects at Austin's vehicle. When circling back around to see what had hit his vehicle Austin encountered Seaman. Austin then claims that Seaman had been menacing him with a hammer threatening his safety, later found with Seaman's fingerprints. Austin is now on trial in Lane county before a Grand Jury, the trial has been continuously delayed as the investigation has been very unclear as to all of the details that occurred on the night of April 15th (Oregonian). According to the Register-Guard Austin was initially charged with failure to perform duties of a driver to seriously injured person. 

Answer 1

This claim is accurate. Austin was arrested last year and charged with a class B felony; failing to perform the duties of a driver when another person is injured. He is accused of hitting and killing Frank William Seaman, a homeless man, near the intersection of West Fourth Ave and Polk Street, per The Orgonian's report. Kezi News stated that Austin was released from jail last April under the conditions that he could not leave Oregon without notifying the court, he can't use or be associated with someone using/selling illegal drugs, and many others. As stated on Lookout Eugene-Springfield, Austin's motion for dismissal was denied by the court on August 5.

Answer 2

The claim that Daylen Austin was arrested for connection to a hit and run is true. According to The Oregonian, the incident occurred on April 15th, 2025. Austin pleaded not guilty to failing to perform duties of a driver to an injured person. This charge could result in up to ten-years in prison, though it is dependent on if Austin has any prior charges against him. 46 year-old Frank William Seaman had been seen throwing "baseball-sized" objects at Austin's car 15 minutes prior to the hit and run incident. Lookout Eugene states Seaman was making threats to kill Austin, and ultimately jumped in front of his (Austin's) vehicle. No intoxicants were found after analyzing Austin's blood. Seaman tested positive for amphetamine and methamphetamine in his autopsy. 

Answer 3

This claim that Daylen Austin was arrested for a fatal hit-and-run is true and accurate. Mr Austin was charged with a felony hit and run on April 15th in Eugene, Oregon. Austin was traveling in a white SUV when he struck Frank William Seaman. In this article, written by James Crepau and Oregon Live states this “A Lane County grand jury formally indicted Austin on Thursday on the sole charge for which he was arrested and accused: failing to perform the duties of a driver when another person is injured, a Class B felony.” 

https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2025/01/oregon-football-defensive-back-daylen-austin-indicted-for-fatal-hit-and-run.html

A secondary source is an article by Alec Deitz of the Registrar Guard that supports this claim. Mr Dietz says “Oregon football cornerback Daylen Austin, 19, was arraigned April 17 at the Lane County Jail on charges of failing to perform the duties of a driver in connection with a Monday fatal hit-and-run in Eugene. According to Eugene Police spokesperson Melinda McLaughlin, the incident happened around 9:10 p.m. that Monday at West 4th Avenue and Polk Street. Police on May 8 identified the person killed as 46-year-old Frank William Seaman after his family was notified. Austin was arraigned at the jail in April and was charged with failure to perform duties of a driver to seriously injured persons”

https://www.registerguard.com/story/sports/college/football/2024/04/17/oregon-ducks-football-player-fatal-hit-and-run-eugene/73351150007/

Answer 4

This claim that Daylen Austin was arrested for a fatal hit-and-run is true and accurate. Mr Austin was charged with a felony hit and run on April 15th in Eugene, Oregon. Austin was traveling in a white SUV when he struck Frank William Seaman. In this article, written by James Crepau and Oregon Live states this “A Lane County grand jury formally indicted Austin on Thursday on the sole charge for which he was arrested and accused: failing to perform the duties of a driver when another person is injured, a Class B felony.” 

https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2025/01/oregon-football-defensive-back-daylen-austin-indicted-for-fatal-hit-and-run.html

A secondary source is an article by Alec Deitz of the Registrar Guard that supports this claim. Mr Dietz says “Oregon football cornerback Daylen Austin, 19, was arraigned April 17 at the Lane County Jail on charges of failing to perform the duties of a driver in connection with a Monday fatal hit-and-run in Eugene. According to Eugene Police spokesperson Melinda McLaughlin, the incident happened around 9:10 p.m. that Monday at West 4th Avenue and Polk Street. Police on May 8 identified the person killed as 46-year-old Frank William Seaman after his family was notified. Austin was arraigned at the jail in April and was charged with failure to perform duties of a driver to seriously injured persons”

https://www.registerguard.com/story/sports/college/football/2024/04/17/oregon-ducks-football-player-fatal-hit-and-run-eugene/73351150007/

Answer 5

This claim is in fact true. One year ago, Daylen Austin was a connection to a hit and run incident on April 15th according to the Eugene Police Department in the ESPN online article. Around 9pm, a 46 year old man (Frank William Seaman) was struck and killed roughly 2 miles from University of Oregon campus. Austin was than put into Lane County Jail as of Wednesday, April 16th, a day before this article was released. To follow up, according to the Register Guard, the original trial planned date was originally scheduled for February 19th, 2025, but the Lane County Circuit Court granted the motion of postponing the trial to August 14th of 2025 9the following year). Frank William Seaman than died after following up with the incident. In recent news, in Lookout Eugene-Springfield's article, the author reported that; “Austin has pleaded not guilty to charge of failing to perform the duties of a driver to an injured person. The maximum sentence for the Class B felony is 10 years in prison, though the actual sentence depends greatly on a person’s criminal conviction history.” Daylen Austin’s attorney filed a motion claiming the pedestrian was described as waving a hammer in a harmful manner, and threatening to kill Austin whilst jumping in front of the car driven by Daylen. In the most recent update on Oregon Live, the Judge has denied the motion to dismiss indictment of Daylen Austin. There hasn’t been a new trial date set to follow up this incident, but for now, he’s back as a football player defensive back for UO this season until further notice or things change.

Answer 6

This claim is true. Daylen Austin, a University of Oregon football player (defensive back), was arrested in April 2024. He was initially charged with felony hit-and-run charges after allegedly hitting and killing a 46-year-old man. He has since been charged with failing to perform the duties of a driver to an injured person (a Class B felony) in connection with the death of a pedestrian struck by the vehicle he was driving. A neighbor stated that he heard the crash outside and thought that he had maybe hit a tree. He was later saddened to see that it was not a tree. 

Sources: 
People Magazine
Lookout Eugene

Answer 7

After researching the claim that University of Oregon football player Daylen Austin was arrested in connection with a fatal hit-and-run, I found the claim to be true and well-documented. According to the Eugene Police Department and multiple credible outlets like ESPN and the Register-Guard, Austin was arrested following an April 2024 incident in Eugene in which a pedestrian was struck and killed. Court filings show that Austin was later indicted by a Lane County grand jury on charges of failing to perform the duties of a driver to an injured person. Secondary sources such as Lookout Eugene-Springfield and People added details about the ongoing case, though some headlines emphasized the “fatal hit-and-run” aspect more dramatically. ESPN and similar outlets may carry mild sensational bias because of the athlete’s public profile, but all reported consistent facts. Evidence supports the claim that Austin was arrested and charged, though it’s important to note he has not been convicted.

Source: 

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/39962615/oregon-db-daylen-austin-arrested-fatal-hit-run

https://www.registerguard.com/story/news/courts/2025/02/08/trial-for-oregon-ducks-player-daylen-austin-postponed/78341103007/

Answer 8

This claim is correct. Both ESPN and Sports Illustrated are reliable sources that state Daylen Austin struck a 46-year-old man and remains in Lane County jail. ABC News claims that a hit-and-run is punishable by up to 5 years, yet this investigation is still ongoing. Lookout Eugene states that a judge on Tuesday, August 5th, denied a motion to dismiss a felony charge filed against Daylen, whom prosecutors claimed fled the scene after fatally striking a pedestrian.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/39962615/oregon-db-daylen-austin-arrested-fatal-hit-run

https://abcnews.go.com/US/university-oregon-defensive-back-daylen-austin-arrested-hit/story?id=109374378

https://lookouteugene-springfield.com/story/justice/2025/08/05/judge-denies-uo-football-players-motion-for-dismissal-in-fatal-hit-and-run-case/

Answer 9

The claim of Daylen Austin's arrest is considered accurate and true. According to local newspaper, The Oregonian, Austin's trial is currently delayed due to a motion of the prosecution's misconduct by his defense attorney Bryan Boender. Original reports of the arrest were reported early April 2024, by reporters of Sports Illustrated and KEZI news. The information reported was founded that a 46-year-old man was found dead around two miles away from campus with defensive player Daylen Austin at the Lane County Prison. However, I have found no details of the investigation itself or the crash, therefore, cannot fact check the information provided about the details of the crash. While the claim itself is true, the details cannot be verified. 

https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2025/08/oregon-supreme-court-grants-delay-in-trial-of-ducks-defensive-back-daylen-austin.html

https://www.si.com/fannation/college/cfb-hq/oregon-football-daylen-austin-arrest-hit-and-run

https://www.kezi.com/news/local/judge-in-daylen-austin-case-to-decide-whether-to-dismiss-charges-next-week/article_65884755-8beb-4d6d-93d7-4977be371dae.html

Answer 10

It is a true and accurate claim that University of Oregon football player Daylen Austin was arrested. This incident has been reported by multiple sources, including Oregon Ducks and OREGONLIVE. According to these reports, Austin was arrested for a fatal hit-and-run that occurred on April 15th in 2024. Police later identified the victim as Frank William Seaman, a homeless man. Austin told the police that he drove away because Seaman had threatened his car with a hammer. Overall, the available evidence and consistent reporting across several credible news outlets confirm that this claim is factual.

Sources:

https://www.si.com/college/oregon/news/oregon-ducks-football-player-daylen-austin-alleged-fatal-car-crash-new-details-report-eugene-dan-lanning

https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2025/01/oregon-football-defensive-back-daylen-austin-indicted-for-fatal-hit-and-run.html