Car goes off cliff, lands on beach in Carlsbad after police pursuit

One person was seriously hurt on Monday afternoon after driving off a cliff in Carlsbad following a pursuit, police said.

Carlsbad firefighters and police officers responded to Palomar Airport Road and Avenida Encinas at around 4:10 p.m. A San Diego County Sheriff's Department lieutenant said the department was helping Carlsbad police with a pursuit several minutes before then.

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. The vehicle then took off, and officers say they initiated a traffic stop.

Police say they started chasing the car when the driver didn't stop, but the pursuit was later called off at Palomar Airport Road, west of Avenida Encinas, because of safety concerns.

A short time later, officers say the vehicle drove off the cliff in the 5500 block of Carlsbad Boulevard. That’s about 4 miles away from the city government office and less than a half-mile from where police say the pursuit was canceled.

Officers called for medical help and went down the cliff on foot to provide lifesaving measures.

The driver, who suffered life-threatening injuries, was taken to a hospital after being treated by Carlsbad Fire personnel. Police say the driver is expected to survive.

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

Video from the scene shows the car's mangled body. 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 says he saw four police vehicles following the car involved.

"I at first thought it was a regular traffic stop when I saw him, but when I saw the four police vehicles following him, I was like, 'This is definitely something different,'" the witness said. "I saw the car go off the cliff. It sounded like an explosion, honestly. It was similar to a firework. It was just one big thud. It sounded like a wave breaking — a really hard wave. It was insane."

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

"It didn't have any abnormal speeds, just looked like someone driving down coast with cops behind and his hazard lights on going 40-50 miles per hour, then drove off the cliff," Shryock said.

Road closures in the nearby area were in place for several hours after the crash. Carlsbad Boulevard was closed in both directions from Cerezo Drive to Island Way, and westbound Palomar Airport Road was closed at Avenida Encinas. All roads were back open by 8 p.m., Carlsbad police said.

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

Please use an alternate route while we conduct our investigation.

— Carlsbad Police (@CarlsbadPolice) November 5, 2024

In April of 2021, a driver went flying over a cliff into the water in the same area. The SUV was transitioning to Carlsbad Boulevard from Palomar Airport Road when the driver crossed multiple lanes of traffic, went through a guard rail and flew dozens of feet down to the beach below, eventually ending up in the water, according to Carlsbad police. The driver was pulled from the vehicle 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 arrives.