Search For SUV That Plunged Off Highway 1 Cliff Suspended
PACIFICA (KPIX 5 / AP) – Authorities have suspended the search for a SUV that plunged off a cliff along Highway 1 in San Mateo County earlier this week.
Crews had been searching for the vehicle and any occupants since it went over a cliff near Devil's Slide and Gray Whale Cove State Park around 10:30 a.m. on Monday. Dash cam video from an eyewitness obtained by KPIX 5 showed the vehicle, believed to be a green Lexus, missing a sharp turn, going full speed over the edge.
On Thursday, the California Highway Patrol announced that the search was called off due to rough seas.
San Mateo County Sheriff's deputies and fire department workers, CHP officers and Coast Guard dive teams searched the area by land, sea and air Monday and found tire tracks and some car debris but it was unclear whether the car parts belong to the SUV seen plunging into the Pacific Ocean, California Highway Patrol Officer Bert Diaz told The Associated Press.
He said investigators have been checking missing people and missing vehicle reports but haven't found anything.
"We don't know if it was a criminal act. We don't know if it was intentional or if it was an accident," Diaz said.
Crews plan to resume the search when weather conditions improve.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the CHP at 415-407-3741.
© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.