SAN DIEGO — A rescue operation with dozens of San Diego Lifeguards and San Diego Fire-Rescue Department firefighters was launched Saturday night after an SUV drove over a cliff in La Jolla amid a torrential downpour of rain.
First responders were dispatched to the 1200 block of Coast Boulevard around 5:30 p.m. in the La Jolla area following reports that a car had driven over the cliff into the ocean.
When first responders arrived on the scene, they discovered a white Cadillac Escalade on the rocks of La Jolla Cove, partially hanging over wind-whipped ocean waves, with at least one person needing to be rescued from the SUV.
San Diego police told CBS 8's Ariana Cohen that the driver might have been trying to park near the cove when the accident happened.
Video from the scene showed technical rescue teams attempting to rescue the SUV driver using rope systems, the jaws of life, and other life-saving measures.
A couple who witnessed the crash called 911.
"I couldn't believe my eyes. I got really scared because I just pictured the car crashing down into the ocean and the person dying," a witness told CBS 8.
Several ropes were attached to the SUV's rear, stabilizing the vehicle, while crews worked to extricate the man from the vehicle.
After lengthy and dramatic rescue attempts, the man was rescued before Ariana Cohen's live report concluded before 7 p.m. Saturday.
Video showed dozens of people who made up an official rescue team pull the man from the passenger side of the SUV while onlookers watched from above and the SUV dangled over the cliff.
As of the morning of Sunday, January 15, the victim was listed in stable condition with minor injuries at an area hospital.
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