Mariska Hargitay's Shocking Discovery: Left Behind at Car Crash Scene That Killed Her Mom Jayne Mansfield New Documentary 'My Mom Jayne' Reveals Heart-Wrenching Details of Fateful Night

Published: June 16, 2025

Mariska Hargitay's new documentary, 'My Mom Jayne', premiered at the Tribeca Festival on June 13, revealing a shocking truth about her childhood. The actress, 61, discovered through a conversation with her brother Zoltan, that she was accidentally left at the scene of the car wreck that killed their mother, Jayne Mansfield.

Zoltan recounts the moment they were pulled to safety from the wreckage, only to realize they left her behind" and had to go back for her. "I often think about why she didn't just stay in the backseat with us?" Zoltan wonders aloud in a scene from the film.

Mariska Hargitay (left) and her film's promotional poster

In the documentary, Mariska's siblings recount the moment they were pulled to safety from the wreckage, only to realize they left her behind. Mariska, then only 3 years old, was pulled from the wreckage, where she had been lodged under the passenger seat with a head injury.

Mariska's stepmom, Ellen Hargitay, explains that "Thank God Zolie woke up" and realized Mariska was missing. Mariska, who was raised alongside her brothers by their father, Mickey Hargitay, also reveals in the film that her biological father is a man named Nelson Sardelli.

Mariska told PEOPLE at the movie's Tribeca Festival debut on Friday, "This is my story to tell. I had a rough time with the fact that somebody else told it before I did, and that was the impetus of the movie — that I wanted to tell my story."

The actress added, "I encourage a lot of women, and men, to tell their stories," explaining that the feeling is "empowering" and "gives ourselves back parts of ourselves."

Mariska's documentary, 'My Mom Jayne', premieres June 27 on HBO and Max.

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