Nobu chef killed after driver crashes into his parked car in Malibu
Posted October 5, 2026 2:30 pm
2 min read
A longtime chef for the famous Japanese restaurant chain Nobu was killed when a driver crashed into his parked vehicle along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, Calif., authorities said.
The 51-year-old chef, identified as Ryo Uchimiya, arrived at Nobu Malibu early on Saturday when his vehicle was hit by a juvenile male driving a Range Rover at 6:50 a.m. local time.
“A preliminary investigation revealed that a juvenile male was driving a gray Range Rover SUV eastbound on Pacific Coast Highway in the number two lane. As the vehicle neared the location, it stuck a parked vehicle on the eastbound shoulder of the roadway,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in an advisory.
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“The occupant of the parked vehicle was pronounced deceased at the scene. Preliminary investigation showed no signs of driving under the influence by the driver,” police added.
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Global News has reached out to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for further comment, but has not received a response.
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The cause of the collision remains under investigation.
John Addington, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department sergeant, told the Los Angeles Times that it appeared the driver of the vehicle had been speeding.
Uchimiya, who had worked at the restaurant located on the Pacific Coast Highway for 25 years, arrived at the restaurant early and was sleeping in the parked car at the time of the crash, KTLA reports.
Surveillance footage captured the moment the driver crashed into the chef’s parked car and the impact pushed Uchimiya’s car into another vehicle in front of it, which then hit a third.
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The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office listed Uchimiya’s cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries.
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The medical examiner ruled the manner of death as an accident.
Many staff members at Nobu Malibu have left notes and flowers outside of the restaurant in Uchimiya’s memory.
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