Overview
- A vehicle went off West Cliff Drive near Steamer Lane around 12:50 a.m. Thursday and entered the Pacific Ocean, prompting a multi-agency nighttime ocean rescue.
- First responders found one occupant with minor injuries and deployed ocean rescue swimmers who recovered a second occupant from the submerged car; that person was taken to a hospital and later died.
- The Santa Cruz County coroner and UC Santa Cruz identified the deceased as 19-year-old Alli Renee Singh, a psychology student, and the university offered condolences and support resources to the campus community.
- The Santa Cruz Police Department is investigating the cause of the crash and has provided preliminary occupant descriptions while some family statements reported different accounts of who was driving.
- The crash highlights narrow margins on the erosion-damaged stretch of West Cliff Drive and comes as the city plans to move about 600 feet of roadway inland next year to reduce cliffside risk.