MALIBU—At around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 8, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station announced that the 31600 block of Sea Level Drive East near Lechuza Point and Lechuza Beach is closed to the public. The closure was due to a large sinkhole caused by strong surf and coastal erosion, which damaged a private driveway leading to a beachside residence owned by actor Nicholas Cage, TMZ first reported.
Firefighters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department discovered it around 5:45 a.m., after receiving a report of a broken gas line underneath the street. They contacted the Southern California Gas Company, which sent crews to shut off the line.
Through the sinkhole, waves are visible, along with items that fell into the hole, including a green portable toilet, pieces of concrete, and parts of a fence. No one was injured, as the house was unoccupied when the driveway collapsed.
Firefighters closed off the area with help from deputies from the LASD.
Workers from the gas company were on scene, along with workers from Malibu Public Works and HOA contractors, to assess the situation. It is unknown when the road will reopen to the public.
Nicholas Cage has starred in the following movies: “Gone in Sixty Seconds,” the “National Treasure” franchsie, “Con Air,” “Face Off,” “The Weather Man,” “World Trade Center,” “Family Man,” and the 2006 remake of “The Wicker Man.” He played the Marvel Comics character Ghost Rider, and Spider-Man Noir, a version of Peter Parker reimagined as a 1930s private detective, in the Spider-Verse animated films and the series Spider-Noir, which was released on MGM+ and Amazon Prime Video.
By Daniel Diquinzio
