SUV drives off California cliff – but neither vehicle nor occupants has been found, authorities say

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A California motorist shared a shocking video appearing to show the moment another vehicle goes off a cliff along Highway 1 in San Mateo County, south of San Francisco.

The footage from Monday, which was released by a witness, shows a dark-colored SUV suddenly entering the frame before driving off the cliff without appearing to slow down, California Highway Patrol (CHP) public information officer Bert Diaz confirmed to Fox News on Thursday.

The video shows the SUV becoming airborne momentarily before disappearing from view.

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A witness heading south on the highway reported seeing an SUV traveling north, speed off the cliff around 10:35 a.m. Monday. A subsequent search by CalFire, the California Highway Patrol, the San Mateo County Fire Department and the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office ensued for the vehicle and driver. Diaz said the search, which included dive teams and CHP's helicopter, on Monday spanned more than six hours, but came up empty.

Rescue workers reported tire tracks on the cliff and auto parts in the water, but were unable to determine if the parts were related to Monday’s crash, Diaz told Fox News.

As of Thursday afternoon, neither the vehicle nor the occupants had been found. Search efforts were suspended Monday due to a high surf advisory and had not resumed since, Diaz said.

“Unfortunately the water conditions continued to worsen and so we have been unable to get out there and deploy there," Diaz told Fox News on Thursday. "We are standing by, but at this point it’s impossible to go out there and search again. It’s just too dangerous.”

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Diaz added that investigators are looking into whether the incident was intentional or an accident. “All we have is one witness that was able to provide the dash cam video,” he said. “The leads we have are minimal.”