A person was seriously injured Monday afternoon after falling off a cliff in Carlsbad following a chase, police said.

Carlsbad firefighters and police officers responded to Palomar Airport Road and Avenida Encinas around 4:10 p.m. A lieutenant with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said the department was assisting Carlsbad police with a pursuit several minutes earlier.

The Carlsbad Police Department, which is investigating this incident, said one of its officers saw a vehicle crash into the fence of a city government office in the 2400 block of Impala Drive shortly after 4 p.m. The vehicle then took off and officers say they initiated a traffic stop.

Police say they began pursuing the car when the driver didn’t stop, but the chase was later called off on Palomar Airport Road, west of Encinas Avenue, for safety reasons.

A short time later, officers say the vehicle went off the cliff in the 5500 block of Carlsbad Boulevard. That’s about 4 miles from the city government office and less than a half mile from where police say the chase was called off.

The officers called for medical help and descended the cliff on foot to take life-saving measures.

The driver, who suffered life-threatening injuries, was taken to a hospital after being treated at the scene by Carlsbad fire personnel. Police say the driver is expected to survive.

The cause of the incident is still under investigation. Carlsbad Police say drugs and alcohol are not believed to be factors in this crash.

Video from the scene shows the shattered body of the car. People on the beach stopped and stared, shocked at how far the car fell.

A witness was driving from Carlsbad Village toward the Encinas area when he says he saw four police vehicles following the car involved.

“At first I thought it was a normal traffic stop when I saw it, but when I saw the four police vehicles following it, I thought, ‘This is definitely something different,'” the witness said. “I saw the car fall off the cliff. Honestly, it sounded like an explosion. It was similar to a firework. It was just a big bang. It sounded like a wave crashing, a really strong wave. It was crazy.”

Michael Shryock says the chase passed him as he headed south on Carlsbad Boulevard.

“It didn’t have any abnormal speeds, it just looked like someone was driving down the coast with cops behind them and their emergency lights on, going 40 to 50 miles per hour, and then went off the cliff,” Shryock said.

Roads in the nearby area were closed for several hours after the accident. Carlsbad Boulevard was closed in both directions from Cerezo Drive to Island Way, and westbound Palomar Airport Road was closed at Avenida Encinas. All roads were open again by 8 p.m., Carlsbad police said.

Road Closure Alert 4:55 pm – Carlsbad Blvd in both directions from Cerezo Dr to Island Way, as well as Palomar Airport Road westbound from Avenida Encinas, are closed due to a vehicle falling off a cliff.

Please use an alternative route while we carry out our investigation.

– Carlsbad Police (@CarlsbadPolice) November 5, 2024

In April 2021, a driver flew off a cliff into the water in the same area. The van was transitioning onto Carlsbad Boulevard from Palomar Airport Road when the driver crossed several lanes of traffic, went over a guardrail and flew dozens of feet toward the beach, ultimately ending up in the water, according to Carlsbad police. The driver was extricated from the vehicle and suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Police are asking witnesses or anyone with information regarding this incident to contact the department at 442-339-2115.

This is a developing story that will be updated as more information arrives.