Exclusive | UC Santa Cruz student identified in fatal cliff car wreck near famous surf break: Smart, beautiful and loving
A beloved UC Santa Cruz student has been identified as the passenger killed when a car plunged off Santa Cruz’s iconic West Cliff Drive early Thursday.Alli Renee Singh, 19, was about to begin her third year at UCSC when the car, driven by a male companion, plunged off a cliff along the city’s famously rugged coastline, family members said.The devastating crash unfolded near Steamer Lane, the world-famous surf break, where massive waves regularly pound the rocky cliffs.Dramatic images from the scene show a red car being hauled from the churning Pacific by a rescue crane as towering waves crashed against the rocks below.Singh’s death has left family and friends mourning the loss of a young woman who was preparing to return to campus.“It is with a very sad and heavy heart that I deliver this news to you.My niece, Alli Renee Singh, daughter of Ravneet Mahal and Gian Singh, has been taken to our Lord on the morning of August 13th in a tragic auto accident,” wrote Singh’s aunt, Monica Singh-Strohmeier, in a Facebook post expressing her family’s grief.“She was a very smart, beautiful and loving young lady and will be missed by all who crossed her path,” Monica Singh-Strohmeier said of the star-crossed UCSC coed.The Santa Cruz Fire Department sent all five of its units to the scene of the crash, along with three units from Central Fire District, a battalion chief from Scotts Valley Fire and Santa Cruz police.Rescue swimmers tried valiantly to save Singh, who was trapped in the submerged car.
The male driver escaped the vehicle and suffered only minor injuries, officials said.The tragedy occurred around 12:50 a.m.near Steamer Lane, according to the Santa Cruz Fire Department.UC Santa Cruz police also were notified of the tragedy and went to the scene because the victim was a student, university spokesman Scott Hernandez-Jason told The Pajaronian.“We were heartbroken to learn that the victim was a UC Santa Cruz student,” the rep said.“Our deepest co...