MALIBU, CA. (THECOUNT) — A longtime Nobu Malibu chef was killed early Saturday when a juvenile driver crashed a Range Rover SUV into his parked vehicle along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, Los Angeles County, California.
The collision occurred at approximately 6:53 a.m. in front of 22626 Pacific Coast Highway, about 150 feet east of the iconic oceanfront restaurant.
Advertisement
Authorities said a 16-year-old male was driving the Range Rover eastbound on PCH when the SUV crossed out of the travel lane and struck a vehicle parked on the eastbound shoulder. The parked vehicle had one occupant inside, and that person was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the city of Malibu.
The victim’s identity had not been publicly released. He was reported to be 51 years old and had reportedly worked for decades as a chef at Nobu Malibu, the high-profile Japanese restaurant located along the same stretch of PCH.
Nobu chef killed on PCH as speeding teen crashes into him
https://t.co/2BN54J0Mgs— Tim Conway Jr Show (@ConwayShow) October 4, 2026
According to reports, the chef had worked at Nobu the previous night and was preparing for a catering job in Santa Monica early Saturday morning. He was reportedly found inside his vehicle after falling asleep.
Earlier reports indicated the Range Rover may have been traveling at least 50 mph before crossing the fog line and striking the parked vehicle. Authorities, however, had not publicly established that speed as the official cause of the crash.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said drugs and alcohol do not appear to have played a role. The circumstances of the collision remained under investigation.
The California Highway Patrol issued a Sigalert at approximately 7:51 a.m. following the crash, with lane closures affecting Pacific Coast Highway near Carbon Canyon Road. The City of Malibu later reported that PCH was closed in the area of the collision as authorities worked the scene.
Nobu Malibu is an internationally known oceanfront restaurant associated with chef Nobu Matsuhisa and known for its Japanese cuisine, celebrity clientele and signature dishes including black cod miso. The victim’s reported longtime connection to the restaurant underscored the connection between the fatal crash and one of Malibu’s best-known culinary destinations.
It remained unclear why the chef was inside the parked vehicle along PCH so early Saturday morning after reportedly working at Nobu the previous night, including whether he had been sleeping there before the crash.
Another unanswered question is why the chef was parked on the PCH shoulder rather than in a designated parking area. Nobu Malibu is located at 22706 Pacific Coast Highway, just east of the crash site, but no public explanation was immediately available for why the chef was parked along the highway rather than in the restaurant’s ample parking lot.
The chef’s death comes as the culinary world has mourned the recent losses of other prominent restaurant figures. Houston chef, restaurateur and social media personality Ryan Tapp, 37, died Sept. 27 after being found dead inside his newly opened restaurant Nola’s Chicken & Waffles. Tapp also operated Taste of H-Town Bar & Grill and hosted the online food program Raw & Ruthless. His official cause of death had not been released in the latest reporting.
Days later, Michael “Mico” Rodriguez, 68, one of the original founders of the Mi Cocina restaurant brand, died from a heart attack. Rodriguez helped establish Mi Cocina in Dallas in 1991 and became a major figure in the city’s Tex-Mex restaurant scene. D Magazine reported that he died of a heart attack. The deaths of Tapp and Rodriguez were unrelated to the Malibu collision.
Saturday’s crash comes against the backdrop of longstanding safety concerns along PCH. Malibu has described the highway as a major public-safety concern and has pursued increased enforcement, speed-control measures and other safety improvements along its 21-mile stretch of Pacific Coast Highway.
For readers unfamiliar with the name, Nobu is an internationally recognized luxury restaurant brand founded by Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa, Hollywood actor Robert De Niro and businessman Meir Teper.
Matsuhisa’s distinctive Japanese cuisine, influenced in part by his years cooking in South America, helped make Nobu a global dining name, while De Niro’s involvement helped propel the brand from a celebrated New York restaurant into an international hospitality empire. Nobu Malibu is one of the brand’s best-known locations, overlooking the Pacific near Malibu Pier and attracting celebrities and other high-profile guests.
The circumstances surrounding the collision, including why the Range Rover left its lane and why the victim was parked along the shoulder so early in the morning, remained under investigation. Authorities had not announced criminal charges against the juvenile driver as of Saturday.
Malibu is a coastal city in Los Angeles County approximately 30 miles west of downtown Los Angeles and immediately south of Ventura County. The fatal crash occurred along PCH near Malibu Pier and the Nobu Malibu restaurant in the city’s central coastal corridor.
Google Maps: 22626 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA
DEVELOPING::