Costa Mesa man whose car careened off Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach Monday arrested

A Costa Mesa man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and speeding after he lost control of his car, which careened off Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach and came to rest on an embankment Monday.

The single-car collision occurred at around 5:15 p.m. A silver Mazda was traveling on Pacific Coast Highway when it crashed just past Bayside Drive as it approached a bridge. The vehicle took out a street sign and a tree, then flipped and landed upside down on the embankment.

The driver, Kevin Avoncejaimes, 20, was rescued from his vehicle by the Newport Beach Fire Department and taken to a hospital for treatment.

The driver of the car that careened off Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach Monday evening is loaded into an ambulance by NBFD emergency responders.

(Susan Hoffman)

Kalev Pallares, a gondolier passing beneath the bridge at the time of the crash, said he heard a loud screech before he saw the car fly off the right side of the bridge and hit the tree.

“I heard the tree crack, then a pause, then the car hit the ground and I saw something fly,” said Christina Applegate, who was riding in the gondola at the time. She later identified the flying object as the car’s engine. Applegate said that she jumped into the water to try and help. But by the time she was able to reach the vehicle, Newport Beach police and firefighters were on the scene.

Traffic along Pacific Coast Highway was shut down Monday evening following an accident that took place at about 5:15 p.m., when a car went off the side of the PCH near the Back Bay.

(Susan Hoffman)

The crash temporarily closed the stretch of Pacific Coast Highway between Bayside and Dover drives, creating a Labor Day traffic jam.

Jail and court records on Tuesday did not indicate whether Avoncejaimes is in custody.

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