Central Coast college student who died after late-night fall from cliff identified

Rebecca Caraway
·2 min read
2

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s-Coroner’s Office has identified a 19-year-old Santa Barbara City College student as the man who died after falling from the bluffs in Isla Vista on Saturday.

The man was identified Tuesday as Benjamin Scott Schurmer of Ojai, according to Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Raquel Zick.

Schurmer was a second-year theater arts major at Santa Barbara City College.

“Benny Schurmer will be tremendously missed on our campus and by his family and friends in Ojai,” acting instructor Katie Laris said in a statement.

SBCC Superintendent Erika Endrijonas sent a message to the campus community Tuesday morning about Schurmer’s death.

Laris said that Schurmer was a lead in a one-act play in the spring and was cast in a major role for the school’s production of “Emma,” which is scheduled to start rehearsals on Tuesday.

Benjamin Scott Schurmer, 19, died after falling from the bluffs in Isla Vista on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023.
Benjamin Scott Schurmer, 19, died after falling from the bluffs in Isla Vista on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023.

“Without exaggeration, he was one of the most positive, warm, kind and talented people I’ve ever met,” Laris said of Schurmer.

Emergency personnel responded to a cliff fall victim at 10:45 p.m. Saturday on the beach below the 6700 block of Del Playa Drive.

Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. Scott Safechuck said at the time that the victim, Schurmer, was found in the water about 40 feet below the cliffs.

Passersby did CPR on him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders, Safechuck said.

A GoFundMe fundraiser has been made by Schurmer’s family friends to help his family and as of Tuesday afternoon the page had received $49,422 in donations.

A Facebook page has also been created in Schurmer’s memory to set up a meal train for his family.

The sheriff Coroner’s Bureau is investigating the cause and manner of Schurmer’s death, which is still pending, Zick said.

Noozhawk staff writer Rebecca Caraway can be reached at rcaraway@noozhawk.com . Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk , @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz . Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook .