A pedestrian died Tuesday as the result of a traffic collision involving an on-duty Crystal Cove State Park officer, authorities confirmed in an email on Wednesday.
Newport Beach Police Department received a call just before 10 p.m. Tuesday about a traffic collision at the E. Coast Highway and Reef Point Drive intersection in Newport Coast, according to authorities.
A Crystal Cove SP employee was driving eastbound on PCH, confirmed NBPD Press Information Officer Heather Rangel in an email Wednesday.
Rangel could not confirm if the pedestrian was in a crosswalk of alongside the road or highway.
Public Safety Superintendent for the Orange Coast District of California State Parks Eric Dymmel confirmed in a phone call Thursday that the officer was on-duty at the time of the collision.
“Unfortunately, the pedestrian involved did not survive the accident,” Dymmel said.
The pedestrian was pronounced deceased at the scene, Rangel reported.
There was only one fatality, Rangel noted. It is unknown at this time if anyone else was transported to any local hospitals, she added.
Rangel could not confirm whether or not drugs, alcohol, or speed were factors in the collision.
“That information is part of the (active) investigation,” she explained in the email.
She did confirm that nobody was arrested.
Newport Beach police are investigating the incident, Dymmel added.
“Because this is an active and open investigation, State Parks cannot provide further comment on this matter,” he said.
The highway remained closed from Reef Point to Los Trancos from 10 p.m. until about 4:30 a.m. to conduct an investigation.
