Car flies off seaside cliff in California — and then vanishes, dashcam video shows
Authorities in Northern California released dash camera footage that apparently captures the moment an SUV drove off a seaside cliff before vanishing this week.
A witness reported that the car had driven off the road and plunged over the cliff Monday morning, near Gray Whale State Cove Beach along Highway 1 between Pacifica and Montara, according to Cal Fire officials in San Mateo County.
“Tire tracks were found,” Cal Fire officials said on Twitter on Monday, sharing photos showing search crews combing Pacific Ocean waters for traces of the vehicle reported missing. “Car parts found in water, unclear if the parts connected to this incident.”
California Highway Patrol officers in San Francisco shared footage that captured the incident on Facebook, writing Thursday afternoon that “the witness was able to stop and assist the investigating officers by providing a statement and this video captured on their dash cam. The dash cam video confirmed the incident.”
Search crews called off the search due to dangerous water conditions, according to CHP, and the surf remained treacherous through Thursday morning.
“The CHP is requesting assistance from the public in gathering additional information,” the San Francisco officers wrote in the Facebook post. “If you or anyone you know have any information that might be helpful, please call the CHP at 415-407-3741.”
In an Instagram post Monday, the San Mateo County Fire Department said the witness “reported a dark vehicle speeding” over the edge of the cliff around 11 a.m. Photos released by Cal Fire showed search crews on foot, boat, jet ski and in a helicopter.
The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Department forwarded questions to California Highway Patrol. Local TV station KPIX and the San Jose Mercury News published the video midweek purportedly showing the incident on dash camera.
The Mercury News reported that “the video, released by the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, shows a dark SUV speeding along the shoulder before driving off the cliff without appearing to slow down. The car is momentarily airborne before it disappears from the frame.”
According to KPIX, a vehicle “believed to be a green Lexus is seen missing a sharp turn, going full speed over the edge” in the clip.
“The Coast Guard is asking if anyone knows of the person who might have been in a green Lexus vehicle that is overdue, or they’re not sure where they are, please give the Coast Guard a call,” Coast Guard Lt. Toni Pehrson said, per KPIX.
Crews spent Monday afternoon “looking for any survivors or other evidence in the 30- to 40-foot-deep waters near the cliff,” the San Jose Mercury News reported.
“You have to keep in mind that this happens periodically, so they do find car debris when they go out searching for something like this,” said Cecile Juliette, a spokesperson for the San Mateo County Fire Department, according to the Mercury News. “Once a car goes over the cliff into the water, they might never find anything even if it did happen.”
“They said he was a credible witness,” Juliette said of the person who reported the car going off the cliff, according to KPIX.
Some material in this story appeared in an earlier article by the author.
This story was originally published January 2, 2020 at 6:16 PM with the headline "Car flies off seaside cliff in California — and then vanishes, dashcam video shows."
