Car goes off cliff and lands on Carlsbad beach after police chase – NBC 7 San Diego

One person was seriously injured Monday afternoon after driving off a cliff in Carlsbad following a chase, police said.

Carlsbad firefighters and police officers responded to Palomar Airport Road and Avenida Encinas around 4:10 p.m. A lieutenant with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said the department assisted Carlsbad police with a pursuit minutes earlier.

The Carlsbad Police Department, which is investigating this incident, said one of its officers saw a vehicle crash into the fence of a city government office in the 2400 block of Impala Drive just after 4 p.m. a traffic stop.

Police say they began pursuing the car when the driver failed to stop, but the pursuit was later called off on Palomar Airport Road, west of Avenida Encinas, due to safety concerns.

A short time later, officers said the vehicle went off the cliff in the 5500 block of Carlsbad Boulevard. That is about six kilometers from the city council and less than half a kilometer from where the police said the chase was called off.

Officers called for medical assistance and descended the cliff on foot to provide life-saving measures.

The driver, who suffered life-threatening injuries, was taken to a hospital after treatment by Carlsbad fire personnel. Police expect the driver to survive.

The cause of the incident is still under investigation. Carlsbad police say drugs and alcohol are not factors in this crash.

Video from the scene shows the mutilated body from the car. People on the beach stopped and stared, shocked at how far the car fell.

A witness was driving from Carlsbad Village toward the Encinas area when he said he saw four police vehicles following the car involved.

“I initially thought it was a normal traffic stop when I saw it, but when I saw the four police vehicles following him, I thought, ‘This is definitely something different,’” the witness said. “I saw the car go off the cliff. It honestly sounded like an explosion. It looked like a firework. It was just one big pop. It sounded like a breaking wave – a really loud wave. It was crazy.”

Michael Shryock says the chase passed right by him as he headed south on Carlsbad Boulevard.

“There were no abnormal speeds, it looked like someone was driving along the coast with police behind them and their hazard lights on at 60 to 80 miles per hour and then drove off the cliff,” Shryock said.

Following the accident, there were road closures in the nearby area for several hours. Carlsbad Boulevard was closed in both directions from Cerezo Drive to Island Way, and westbound Palomar Airport Road was closed at Avenida Encinas. According to Carlsbad police, all roads were reopened by 8 p.m.

Road Closure Warning 4:55 PM – Carlsbad Blvd in both directions from Cerezo Dr to Island Way, as well as Palomar Airport Road westbound from Avenida Encinas, are closed due to a vehicle that went over a cliff.

Please use an alternate route during our investigation.

— Carlsbad Police Department (@CarlsbadPolice) November 5, 2024

Driver in April 2021 flew over a cliff into the water in the same area. The SUV was traveling from Palomar Airport Road to Carlsbad Boulevard when the driver crossed several lanes, went through a guardrail and flew several feet to the beach below, eventually ending up in the water, Carlsbad police said. The driver was removed from the car and suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Police are asking witnesses or anyone with information about this incident to contact the department at 442-339-2115.

This is a developing story that will be updated as more information comes in.