Fatal incident at end of Todd Point–Bayview Drive in Fort Bragg; authorities confirming details
A tourist from Lake County hiking with his son found the body of a man down below the cliffs between Hare Creek Beach and Todd Point. Josh Brown said they found the body and called authorities, who confirmed it was a fatality. Brown reported the Jeep had Oklahoma plates.
He parked his car, Brown said. The car did not go off the edge. It had to be towed because it was close to the edge where the fire dept members needed to go down for the recovery operation.
The dropoff is inches away on the passenger side when one pulls up. Its one of several reasons why we dont drive in past the end of the pavement.
“I believe he possibly thought that it was more of a cliff edge around, got out and walked to go to the passenger side of his door and fell down, probably knocked himself unconscious and becasue the tide was probably high, that might have been enough to kill him.”
We still have nothing from the police. Brown said they are still figuring out the circumstances and have been very thorough in investigating this.
“I’m here with my family. My son and I got up this morning and headed to the rocks to go fishing. I don’t know if I would call it a vacation but we do come to Fort Bragg quite often. The crazy part for me is we just move back home to Lake County from Oklahoma and assuming that that jeep was his, he is also from Oklahoma. His plates are from Oklahoma and he had OSU stickers on it so it kind of was just a weird coincidence really sad to say the truth. The neighbors two houses away said that they were here on vacation at a Airbnb and noticed that jeep pulled up in the middle of the night. Me and my son have been fishing there for about 230 minutes and when the neighbors walked down that’s what prompted me to turn back and look up and see what’s coming down the hill and that’s when I realize I’ve seen a body that I thought was a seal on the shore and my son who is 13 walked up to see what it was and that’s when he gave me this scared blank look and said it was a man,” Brown said.
Brown made the discovery this morning (Saturday, April 12). The man may have driven past the end of Bayview Drive, then got out of his car in the dark. His vehicle did not go all the way to the bottom; it had to be removed before the body could be recovered. Apparently he either parked it or got stuck (seems unlikely for a Jeep) and then went over the edge, which is very close to the road. Could happen in the dark. We will wait for more details, then judge whether we want to report those.
We first heard reports of a possible fatality over the scanner, and later confirmed at the scene that a person had died. The circumstances of what happened remain unclear, and we do not report scanner traffic as fact. However, we were able to verify that a death did occur. Authorities have not yet released information, and it is not yet known whether the location falls under city or county jurisdiction. We will update this story as soon as officials provide details and after next of kin have been notified. While a guard rail wouldnt have helped in this case, it probably would be a VERY good thing to do. We hope this tragedy may prompt a review of whether additional barriers or safety measures are needed.
This is one of Fort Bragg’s quietest and most meditative spots. Linda loves to go here and park and just be. When nephew Joel came here, he spent 12 hours filming a video on the rocks here, so compelled by the call of this place. Sadly, this came on a day when local Native American groups were having ceremonies to welcome the whales. We share photos of the spot at the end, truly one of the most restful places one will ever find.
This stretch of coastline is one of our favorite places to walk the dogs on Hare Creek Beach nearby. The cliffs at this spot are precarious and badly eroded. I have actually never been down to the channel below because of the potential to cause serious erosion. Today, we saw the neighbors are asking everyone to stay off for that reason. Unfortunately, iceplant has colonized it. This makes it SEEM like erosion is being prevented but it actually accomplishes more of the opposite. I’ve always thought someone could go off that edge in the dark — not that we know whether that’s what happened here — but the possibility has lingered. We were told the person who died is not from the area. The spot isn’t easy to find; you have to weave through the side roads around Todd Point to reach it.
The location has raised safety concerns before. It seems like guardrails should surround the area. Not long ago, someone smashed through the guardrail at the end of Ocean View Drive with incredible force. We never learned who was involved or whether they were seriously injured. Incidents like these have left many wondering whether stronger barriers or clearer warnings are needed along this part of the coast.
It’s hard to square a death with a place so many of us know as peaceful — a spot where dogs chase the wind, where Hare Creek curves into the sea, where the light hits the headlands just right. But anyone who’s walked these cliffs in the dark has felt that edge, the way a wrong turn could send a car where no road goes. We don’t yet know what happened here, only that a life ended and the person was not from this area.
These incidents keep stacking up, and the coastline keeps reminding us how unforgiving it can be.
Authorities have not yet released details, and next of kin notifications are still pending. We will update this story as soon as official information becomes available–if appropriate and depending on the circumstances. More news as received.
