Advertisement

Chase Stokes Says World Lost a 'Beautiful Soul' After Death of His Outer Banks Stand-In

Chase Stokes is asking people not to drink and drive after the death of his Outer Banks stand-in.

In a message specifically to younger fans of the Netflix series, the actor spoke on the devastation that the death of crew member Alexander "AJ" Jennings caused.

"Get in an Uber, do something, because this beautiful soul, this beautiful individual's life was taken way, way too soon because of somebody who made a stupid, stupid decision to drink and drive," he told TMZ.

"If you're gonna go out and go to a party and have a couple drinks, don't do it. Don't get in a car — don't get behind the wheel," continued Stokes, 29. "That's to our younger fans who are just getting into this age range of being able to drive and do these things. Don't do it man, because we lost a beautiful individual. I'm still processing it, man."

RELATED: Family of Outer Banks Stand-In Killed in Hit-and-Run Asks for Donations to the Red Cross

chase stokes, Alexander "AJ" Jennings
chase stokes, Alexander "AJ" Jennings

Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage; Instagram Chase Stokes (left) and Alexander "AJ" Jennings

Jennings, 22, was killed in a two-car hit-and-run in July near the Outer Banks season 3 production site in North Charleston, South Carolina. A press release from police revealed that the male pedestrian — later identified as Jennings — was walking on the road around 2:30 a.m. when he was hit by a car. A second vehicle hit Jennings, and both cars fled the scene. He died at a local hospital.

Of the aftermath, Stokes said, "We're still looking for the second driver."

Stokes also shared the importance of "people taking responsibility for their own actions."

"That's really what it comes down to — so, somebody who did something as terrible as what has happened to AJ, God rest his soul, I hope people look at this situation and they take responsibility for the things that they're doing, and they think twice about what they do after the fact."

RELATED: Chase Stokes Says His 'Heart Is Shattered' After His Outer Banks Stand-In Is Killed in Hit-and-Run

Stokes, who plays John B on the series, shared his heartbreak over Jennings' loss shortly after news of the stand-in's death broke. "Still trying to process why certain things happen, and why the world works in the ways that it does," Stokes shared in a since-expired Instagram story.

"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."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Outer Banks season 3 began production in February.