The driveway of a luxurious coastal residence in Malibu, reportedly owned by Nicolas Cage, experienced a collapse on Tuesday morning due to a massive sinkhole that emerged in front of the property. The incident led to a gas leak around 6 a.m., resulting in a swift response from authorities and utility services. SoCalGas, the utility company, managed to contain the leak after a few hours but decided to temporarily halt natural gas services in a portion of the street as a precautionary measure against coastal erosion.
Authorities indicated that the sinkhole, measuring approximately 7.5 to nine meters in depth and 18 meters in width, extended into the roadway. By Wednesday, a local emergency was declared, and an evacuation order was issued for 31 properties in the vicinity. Despite requests for comment, representatives for Cage remained unresponsive. Property records reveal that the estate was sold in 2024, with the previous owner confirming Cage as the buyer to The New York Times during the sale.
The mansion suffered damage during a coastal flooding advisory in the Los Angeles area caused by the remnants of Hurricane Marie, which had transitioned back into a tropical storm. Although the storm did not directly hit land, it brought heavy rainfall and turbulent waves along the Southern California coast over the holiday weekend. The City of Malibu highlighted that the sinkhole incident was part of broader coastal challenges in the region, monitoring erosion along various vulnerable points, including the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in the Palisades Fire burn area and Point Dume State Beach.
Situated between the ocean and the renowned Pacific Coast Highway, the private neighborhood where the mansion is located faced the sinkhole event. Cage, aged 62, recently starred in the Amazon series “Spider-Noir” and is set to portray John Madden in an upcoming biographical film about the NFL figure. With an extensive career spanning over 100 films, Cage has been recognized with an Oscar for his role in “Leaving Las Vegas.”