Heroic Rescue By Surfer After Vehicle Plunges Over Santa Cruz Cliff

SANTA CRUZ (CBS SF) -- A surfer rescued three people Friday after their vehicle plunged off a cliff at Santa Cruz's Sunny Cove Beach and crashed into the water, authorities said.

California Highway Patrol officers responded at around 8 a.m. to 911 calls reporting the crash. There were three occupants in the vehicle -- two juvenile boys and an adult.

A surfer who was in the water immediately paddled over to the crash scene to aid the victims and get them to shore.

The boys suffered minor injuries and the adult was transported to a trauma center.

Scene of a cliff rescue in Santa Cruz along Sunny Cove Dr., September 17, 2021. (Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office)

"Thank you to the surfer who heroically helped save the occupants," the sheriff's office said on its Facebook page.

CHP Officer Sam Courtney said the investigation was turned over to the sheriff's office because of an alleged criminal element.

Sunny Cove Drive was closed to everyone but residents.

A tow company was to extract the vehicle from the water depending on the tide.