Fans of Outer Banks have been waiting patiently since July 2021 for the new season to drop on Netflix. Finally released on Thursday, diehard fans who were already binge-watching all the episodes were stunned when they saw a dedication for Alexander Jennings as episode 9 came to an end.
Chase Stokes plays John B in the series about a treasure that he’s trying to find and what he thought his father was killed over years ago. The story doesn’t have Scooby Doo or Goonies vibes though, because it’s more like a mesh between The O.C. and Dawson’s Creek. The story premise gives itself to a good bit of action from racing dirt bikes across town to surfing in dangerous water, which is where Alexander Jennings comes into the show.
He was the stunt double and stand-in for Chase Stokes. His IMDb page says he was born on August 3, 1999, in Buffalo, New York, and was building up a pretty good career for himself with 24 acting credits. He was also trained in boxing before his life came to a sudden end on July 5, 2022, in Charleston, South Carolina where the show is filmed.
His representation, Kimmie Stewart Casting, was the first to break the news to Outer Banks fans on Instagram.
The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office made a statement that Jennings was a pedestrian who was the victim of drinking and driving. He was struck by one car at about 2:30 AM that fled the scene. Then, he was additionally struck by a second car that also fled the scene. He was rushed to a local hospital in Charleston where, after a short struggle, he was pronounced dead. The actor was just 22 years old.
Understandably heartbroken, Chase Stokes posted a dedication in his Instagram stories to honor the late actor:
“Still trying to process why certain things happen, and why the world works in the ways that it does. My heart is shattered. Your life was just starting. We JUST talked about how pumped you were about your tunes, how far you’d come with that ole 6 string, and your want to keep creating art. Always always making others hearts warm and being so damn selfless. I wish I had more words to say right now, but the past day has been a struggle to say the least. We all love you, you touched all of our lives and made us all better people, and for that — thank you, AJ. Fly high, angel.”
Season 3 of Outer Banks is currently streaming on Netflix. Pay attention at the end of episode 9 for the dedication. RIP AJ!