"Star Trek" actor Anton Yelchin dies in car accident at age 27

Anton Yelchin, best known as Chekov in the latest 

Star Trek films, died in a fatal traffic collision early Sunday morning, his publicist confirmed to ABC News. He was 27 years old.

According to TMZ, Yelchin was pinned to a brick mailbox by his own car in what appears to be a freak accident. His friends became alarmed because he was supposed to meet them hours earlier for a rehearsal. They went to his San Fernado Valley home at around 1am and found him pinned between his car and a brick mailbox, which was attached to a security gate.

The driveway had a steep incline and the car engine was still running and in neutral when law enforcement arrived on the scene. It is unclear why he got out of the car. Cops do not suspect foul play.

Yelchin was the only child of Russian parents. His family emigrated to the United States when Yelchin was a baby. Yelchin starred in 2006's Alpha Dog before he was cast in J.J. Abram's version of the Star Trek series.

He acted in the next Star Trek installment, Star Trek Beyond, which premieres in summer 2016 as well as the upcoming film Rememory, and the recently-released Green Room with Patrick Stewart.

Source: ABC News/TMZ ads