A longtime chef for the famous Japanese restaurant chain Nobu was killed over the weekend in Malibu, California, when a teen driver crashed into his parked vehicle, where he was sleeping while waiting for his shift to start. The 51-year-old chef, named by the Los Angeles medical examiner’s office as Ryo Uchimiya, had arrived at work at Nobu Malibu early on Saturday when his vehicle was hit by a 16-year-old boy driving a Range Rover at 6.50am. John Addington, a Los Angeles county sheriff’s department sergeant, told the LA Times that it appeared the boy had been speeding.
Citing authorities, NBC Los Angeles reported there were no signs of intoxication by the driver, who stayed at the scene of the crash and cooperated with police. No charges had immediately been filed, but an investigation was ongoing, officials said. According to the LA Times, the stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway that passes through Malibu is one of deadliest roads in California.
It averages four crash-related fatalities a year over the past decade. In 2023, a 24-year-old Malibu man driving a BMW traveling at more than 100mph through a 45mph zone struck three parked cars, killing four sorority sisters from Pepperdine University. The driver was later charged with murder.
The highway, known as PCH, is dotted with construction zones after the 2025 wildfires in the area. The California Post reported that the teen driving the Range Rover in Uchimiya’s case on Saturday veered across the road’s fog line which separates the traffic lane from the shoulder – and hit the chef’s car. Uchimiya was a beloved sushi chef who had worked for Nobu for 25 years, according to KTLA.
He was said to have built the restaurant’s operation and was reported to be preparing for Saturday’s service. KTLA quoted the manager of Nobu Malibu as saying the “family of staffers” there were doing what they could to support Uchimiya’s family.
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