Newbury Park Driver Dies in Canyon Plunge

A Newbury Park man was killed Tuesday morning when his car hurtled off a Malibu Canyon cliff, crashed and caught fire, authorities said.

Thomas M. Ploudre, 26, died after the car landed about 200 feet below Malibu Canyon Road, two miles north of the Pacific Coast Highway, about 7:25 a.m., the California Highway Patrol reported.

Investigators do not know the cause of the accident, CHP Officer Steve Emmons said.

Ploudre’s body was found about 20 feet from his car, but it was not known if he was ejected, crawled from the vehicle or was pulled out by rescuers, Emmons said.

When officers arrived, they met two out-of-breath men who had returned from the accident and said there was a victim below, Emmons said. But, when officers returned to the roadway after finding the victim, the men were gone, he said.