New Details Emerge In PCH Crash That Killed Longtime Nobu Malibu Chef

MALIBU, CA — A memorial of flowers and origami cranes has formed near the stretch of Pacific Coast Highway where a longtime Nobu Malibu sushi chef was killed when a 16-year-old driver crashed into his parked car Saturday morning.

Ryo Uchimiya, 51, died from multiple blunt-force injuries, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner's office.

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The crash occurred just before 7 a.m. in the 22600 block of Pacific Coast Highway, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Uchimiya was sitting in a car parked on the shoulder when the teen, driving a Range Rover, veered from the roadway and slammed into the vehicle, according to the sheriff's department. ABC 7 reported that four vehicles were involved after Uchimiya's car was pushed into other unoccupied parked vehicles.

Uchimiya was pronounced dead at the scene, the station reported.

Surveillance video provided to NBC Los Angeles by Jefferson Wagner appeared to show the Range Rover moving from the right lane toward the shoulder shortly before the crash.

Wagner, a former city mayor who owns a surf shop across the street, told the station that Uchimiya regularly arrived early for work and would rest in his car before his shift.

"He was asleep," Wagner told the station. "He was here early. He gets here early and takes a snooze and then goes to work on time."

Uchimiya had worked as a sushi chef at Nobu Malibu for more than two decades, according to reports.

The 16-year-old driver survived the crash and did not appear to be under the influence, authorities told NBC Los Angeles. No one was taken into custody, and investigators have not said what caused the teen to leave the roadway.

It was not immediately clear whether the driver will face charges.

The California Post reported that Department of Motor Vehicles records show the Range Rover is leased to English film composer Harry Gregson-Williams. The newspaper said the teen driver's connection to Gregson-Williams was unclear.

"This family is grieving just as the other family," Gregson-Williams told the Post.

The fatal crash comes amid longstanding concerns about safety along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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