Make California Post a Preferred Source Horrifying new video captures the moment a speeding SUV slammed into a parked car on Pacific Coast Highway killing a Nobu Malibu chef who was sleeping inside.
The dramatic footage shows the SUV racing along PCH before suddenly veering towards the shoulder and smashing into the vehicle where 51-year-old Ryo Uchimiya was asleep.
The violent impact sends the first car careening into another vehicle, with the cars bouncing and colliding in a chaotic sequence before coming to a stop.
The video captures the sickening sounds of the wreck — a thunderous bang followed by the screech of tires as the vehicles are thrown into each other.
Uchimiya, a longtime chef at the celebrity-favorite Nobu Malibu, was found dead in the back seat of his vehicle following the crash around 7 a.m. Saturday near Carbon Canyon Road, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The chef had reportedly arrived early for work and fallen asleep in his car while preparing for a catering job in Santa Monica, sources told The California Post.
Restaurant staff said he had worked at the Malibu location the night before.
The crash involved an SUV driven by a 16-year-old boy who was traveling eastbound on PCH at what appeared to be above the posted speed limit, a sheriff’s watch commander previously told The Post.
According to 99.1 FM, the teenager was traveling at least 50 mph when he swerved and struck Uchimiya’s parked car.
The SUV reportedly crossed the road’s fog line — the white stripe separating the traffic lane from the shoulder — before smashing into the parked vehicle.
The force of the collision propelled Uchimiya’s car into another vehicle, which was then pushed into a third, according to authorities.
The newly surfaced footage gives a chilling look at just how quickly the deadly chain reaction unfolded.
As of Sunday morning, there had been no new updates on the investigation or word of any arrests.
The chef’s death has devastated the staff at Nobu Malibu, the famed oceanfront Japanese restaurant located just steps from where the crash occurred.
Uchimiya had been with the restaurant since its early days and was still preparing to work when the deadly collision unfolded.
Nobu Malibu was closed Saturday as employees mourned the loss, while notes and flowers were left outside the restaurant in his memory.
The crash scene was cordoned off as sheriff’s deputies investigated, with images from the scene showing badly damaged vehicles scattered along PCH.
The California Highway Patrol issued a Sigalert at 7:51 a.m., shutting down two left lanes for an undetermined period.
The deadly wreck comes as another devastating loss for California’s restaurant industry. In April, Laguna Beach chef and restaurant owner Rainer Schwarz, 59, was killed in a crash in nearby Dana Point.
For the Nobu Malibu team, the tragedy was especially painful: Uchimiya had spent years helping build the restaurant’s kitchen operation — only to have his life cut short while resting in his car before another day at work.
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