MALIBU, CA. (THECOUNT) — Ryo Uchimiya, 51, a longtime chef at the famed Nobu Malibu restaurant, has been identified as the man killed Saturday morning when a 16-year-old 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.
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According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the teenage boy was driving a Range Rover eastbound on PCH when the SUV crossed out of the travel lane and struck Uchimiya’s vehicle, which was parked on the eastbound shoulder. Uchimiya was inside the parked vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Uchimiya had reportedly worked at Nobu Malibu for many years, with some reports describing his tenure at the restaurant as spanning approximately 25 years. The Los Angeles Times reported that Uchimiya had arrived at work early Saturday and was waiting in his vehicle outside the restaurant.
Other reports said Uchimiya had worked at Nobu the previous night and was preparing for a catering job in Santa Monica. He was reportedly napping inside his vehicle before the crash.
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 teenage driver was arrested following the crash, according to the Sheriff’s Department. Authorities had not publicly announced criminal charges against him in the latest reporting.
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 Peru, 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.
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
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