One person died and another was injured after a vehicle plunged off a cliff and into the ocean along Santa Cruz’s West Cliff Drive early Thursday. The crash was reported around 12:50 a.m. near Steamer Lane, according to the Santa Cruz Fire Department.
One victim managed to escape the submerged vehicle with minor injuries. Rescue swimmers searched the ocean for a second individual who was believed to be trapped inside the car. Firefighters eventually recovered the second victim, who later died at a nearby hospital.
Dramatic images from the scene showed a red car being hoisted from the ocean by a crane as powerful waves crashed against the cliffs. Multiple emergency units responded to the incident, including all five of the Santa Cruz Fire Department’s units, three units from the Central Fire District, a battalion chief from Scotts Valley Fire, and Santa Cruz police.