American actor Mike Vitar, best known as Benjamin Franklin ‘Benny the Jet’ Rodriguez in The Sandlot, retired from acting in 1997.

He now maintains a low profile as he continues to work as a firefighter after assault charges.

Mike Vitar as a Popular Child Actor

Vitar appeared in several movies in the 1990s. Some of his best-known films are The Sandlot, D2: The Mighty Ducks, and D3: The Mighty Ducks.  

The former actor made appearances in other projects throughout the 1990s and cemented his status as one of the successful child artists of that time.

Nevertheless, Vitar quit acting career in 1997 after he appeared in an episode of a medical drama, Chicago Hope. He was at the age of 19 when he retired.

After leaving showbiz, initially, the former child actor spent some time working as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).

After gaining the experience and skills, he joined the Los Angeles Fire Department as a firefighter in 2002.

Mike Vitar Faced Assault Charges 

Vitar has had his fair share of encounters with the law; he was charged with assault in 2016.

He faced serious jail time after he and his two co-firefighters — Eric Carpenter and Thomas Molnar, attacked a guy in a Halloween night beat down.

According to reports, the 43-year-old and his friends approached and assaulted a 22-year-old graduate student named Samuel Chang, who was handing out candy in a gated community.

The assailants accused him of handing out "drug-laced" candies, which later turned out to be untrue.

The firefighters of Los Angeles also claimed that Chang was under the influence of PCP (a type of drug). But after thorough medical examinations, they could find no traces of the drug in his system.

On the contrary, Chang thought he smelled alcohol on at least one firefighter’s breath.

As they attacked him, one of them choked him and beat him so severely that he suffered a cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated.

Vitar was initially released on a $30,000 bail but was later charged with misdemeanor battery, which he did not contest.

As a result, the three were sued in criminal court and with damages amounting to $7.2 million.

Ultimately, Vitar received three months' probation and 90 days of community service. Further, he was suspended for 6 months without pay.

Mike Vitar's Family Now

As of now, Vitar continues to serve the Los Angeles Fire Department as a firefighter and leads a happily married life with his wife, Kym Allen. 

Allen is a professional photographer, culinary student, and educator who runs Kym Vitar Photography. 

Vitar and his wife tied the knot in 2006 and welcomed three children into their family  — sons Eli and Wesley, and a daughter named Norah Paige.

Mike Vitar now has a family with wife and kids.

Mike Vitar now has a family with his wife, Kym Allen Vitar, and children. (Photo: Kym Vitar/Twitter)

The married duo welcomed their youngest child, daughter Paige, in December 2013. 

While Vitar has kept his family life and details away from the spotlight, his wife provides their family glimpses through her Instagram now and then. 

And going by her Instagram, Vitar and his wife are homeschooling their children.

On October 26, 2021, Allen posted a picture of her daughter and revealed in the caption that she was learning sign language by herself. 

"Teaching herself sign language as her 'elective,'" she penned. 

No doubt that Vitar is relishing his family life with his wife now. They live in their Los Angeles house.