Man dies in Big Sur crash after vehicle plunges down 400-foot cliff off Highway 1

A man died Thursday after his truck went down a steep cliff between Highway 1 and the ocean in Big Sur, according to spokespeople from the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office and Big Sur Fire.

The crash was reported at 12:09 p.m. and was located near Mile Marker 35 north of Eselen Institute and the Monterey County line.

The site wasn’t visible from the roadway, according to a CHP incident log about the crash.

The responding officer reported that, at 12:10 p.m., the vehicle “was steaming,” and the officer interpreted that to mean the crash had happened soon before it was reported.

Sheriff’s Office Cmdr. Joseph Manuelos confirmed to The Tribune on Friday that the vehicle’s driver and its solo occupant in the fatal crash had been identified by as Charlie Phuc Ngo, 36, of Sacramento.

It took a CHP helicopter and members of the sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team to recover Ngo’s body from the steep site, which was more than 400 feet down the cliff, the commander said.

The vehicle wasn’t towed until early Friday, the CHP log said, likely due to the difficult-access location.

The CHP is investigating the incident.

This story was originally published March 21, 2025 at 1:28 PM.

Kathe Tanner

The Tribune

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Kathe Tanner has been writing about the people and places of SLO County’s North Coast since 1981, first as a columnist and then also as a reporter. Her career has included stints as a bakery owner, public relations director, radio host, trail guide and jewelry designer. She has been a resident of Cambria for more than four decades, and if it’s happening in town, Kathe knows about it.