Aug. 14, 2026 10:34 AM PT

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• A UC Santa Cruz student died early Thursday after the vehicle she was in drove off a seaside bluff and landed upside down in the Pacific Ocean, according to the Santa Cruz Fire Department.
• A second occupant was able to escape with only minor injuries.

A UC Santa Cruz student died after the vehicle she was driving veered off a road near the university, dropped off a seaside cliff and plunged into the Pacific, according to officials.

A second person was able to escape from the submerged car, but the woman who died became trapped, the Santa Cruz Fire Department said.

Rescue teams responded to the crash just before 1 a.m. Thursday and were able to pull the trapped woman from inside the car, but lifesaving measures were unsuccessful, the fire department said on Facebook. She was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

The passenger who survived was a man, according to Santa Cruz Police spokesperson Katie Lee. He suffered only minor injuries, officials said.

First responders worked in the dark of night on the rescue, sending at least five swimmers into the ocean to pull the woman from the car and confirm there were no other trapped occupants. The car flipped during the crash, leaving most of it upside down and underwater, according to a photo shared from the scene.

The car drove off a cliff on West Cliff Drive near Steamer Lane, a popular spot for local surfers. The location is about two miles from UC Santa Cruz’s campus.

Officials didn’t immediately identify the student but confirmed she had been enrolled at the university.

“We were heartbroken to learn that the victim was a UC Santa Cruz student,” school spokesperson Scott Hernandez-Jason wrote in a statement. “Our deepest condolences go out to the student’s family and friends during this difficult time. We are providing support resources to those in our community affected by this tragedy.”

The crash remains under investigation by police. A spokesperson said officers still are working to determine the circumstances that led to the crash. She declined to release the names of the victims.