At least three people were rescued after a portion of Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf in Santa Cruz, California, collapsed into the ocean on Monday, December 23, as winter swells hammered the Northern California coast, officials said.
“Two victims have been rescued by our lifeguards and one victim self-rescued,” said the Santa Cruz Fire Department.
Video from Roger Bernstein shows large pieces of debris floating away from the rest of the pier.
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The National Weather Service, which reposted Bernstein’s video on X, noted “the ominous wave action on the horizon” and said anyone getting close to the water would be “risking their life.”
The Santa Cruz Boardwalk and some local amenities were closed for the remainder of the day “out of an abundance of caution,” authorities said.
Governor Gavin Newsom was “briefed on a previously damaged section of the Santa Cruz pier that broke off due to heavy surf,” his office said. Credit: Roger Bernstein via Storyful
