A tragic incident unfolded on California's famed Highway 1, as a two-door grey sedan plummeted off a cliff near Devil's Slide, resulting in the deaths of all three individuals inside. The harrowing crash occurred just after 11 a.m. on Friday, with the car coming to rest approximately 300 to 400 feet down an embankment. The area known for its hairpin turns and steep seaside cliffs lies about 15 miles south of San Francisco.

Authorities identified the victims as 36-year-old Brylyn Aroma of Fort Riley, Kansas, 29-year-old Mohammad Noory, and 28-year-old Angelica Gacho of San Francisco. The sedan, seen upside down in the water below, was retrieved from the scene by a tow truck. Rescuers managed to recover two bodies on Friday, with the third body found after treacherous high tide conditions the following day.

California Highway Patrol closed the highway intermittently for investigation and recovery efforts, reopening it to traffic around 6:15 p.m. on Friday. This stretch of Highway 1, also known as the Pacific Coast Highway, is renowned for its picturesque yet perilous clifftop views, attracting both tourists and locals traveling along the coast.

Notably, Devil's Slide has been the site of previous tragedies, including a 2023 incident involving a California doctor charged with attempted murder after driving his family off the same cliff. A mental health diversion spared him jail time for the crash that injured his wife and young children.

For Cal Fire Battalion Chief Brian Pottenger, incidents at Devil's Slide rarely result in survival, making this recent crash a tragic but improbable exception. The investigation into the circumstances of the fatal plunge off Devil's Slide remains ongoing.

Saman Shafiq, a trending news reporter for USA TODAY, contributed to this article. For more updates, readers can reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @saman_shafiq7.