Three people rescued after car goes over cliff at Sunny Cove Beach

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) -- A popular lookout point above Sunny Cove Beach is now destroyed after a black Nissan sedan drove off the cliff at the end of Sunny Cove Drive early Friday morning.

A woman and her two children were in the car. They were all rescued by a surfer in the water after they drove through a guardrail and a bench before plunging into the ocean.

"The surfer was able to help get the juveniles and the kids out of the car. At that point, we were able to go down to the beach and help assist further to make sure everyone was OK and get them the help that they needed," said Ashley Keehn, Public Information Officer for the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office.

The woman was transported to a hospital. Her two kids only had minor injuries. The Sheriff's Office is now investigating whether this incident was accidental or intentional.

"Those are all things that we're looking at right now and we're trying to talk to witnesses and try to get any surveillance footage that's in the area to piece everything together, to figure out exactly what occurred," said Keehn.

Hours later, the car remained in the ocean submerged under the cliffs. Deputies are still looking for a way to possibly tow it out.

Two kids went into the water to get a closer look at the vehicle.

"We found the car pretty quickly, it's very smashed, and kind of in a confined space, with sand built up on it. [It's] just really wedged in the cliff and took the bench with it, she really did a number, it's crazy," said Bennett.

People stopped by the site all day, shocked that this could occur in their neighborhood.

"There was a bench there, there's no bench now but we always go there, we watch the sunset, and we watch the waves... it's just kind of like our backyard and it's pretty crazy," said Kelly Failing.

Sunny Cove Drive is now back open to the public.