Range Rover driven by 16-year-old that smashed into Nobu chef is owned by legendary Hollywood composer

DAILYMAIL.COM • 4h ago

By JAMES GORDON, US NEWS REPORTER 01:25 06 Oct 2026, updated 02:09 06 Oct 2026

The Range Rover driven by a 16-year-old boy who allegedly sped into a parked car and killed a beloved Nobu Malibu chef was leased by one of Hollywood’s most celebrated composers, according to a report.

DMV records as seen by The California Post show the 2026 Land Rover involved in the deadly crash was leased by British-born composer Harry Gregson-Williams, 64, whose scores have accompanied some of the biggest movies of the past three decades.

The Daily Mail has not independently reviewed those records.

The Post said it was unclear what connection the 16-year-old driver had to Gregson-Williams or how he came to be driving the luxury SUV when it smashed into the car of Nobu chef Ryo Uchimiya, 51, on Pacific Coast Highway early on Saturday morning.

Gregson-Williams, whose credits include Shrek, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Martian and Gladiator II, addressed the tragedy only briefly when contacted by The California Post.

‘This family is grieving just as the other family,’ he said.

Just two days before the fatal collision, Gregson-Williams had been photographed with his family at the Los Angeles premiere of Animals, a new Netflix thriller directed by and starring Ben Affleck.

The composer recently reunited with Affleck to score the movie, and attended Thursday’s star-studded premiere alongside the actor, Matt Damon and Kerry Washington.

By Saturday morning, the Range Rover leased in Gregson-Williams’ name was at the center of a devastating crash outside one of Malibu’s most famous restaurants.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Gregson-Williams for additional comment.

Horrifying surveillance footage captured the moment the SUV slammed into the back of Uchimiya’s parked sedan at around 6:50am.

Investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department believe the teenage driver had been speeding before careening into Uchimiya’s vehicle.

The enormous impact propelled the chef’s car into two other parked vehicles, setting off a chain reaction.

Uchimiya, who had worked at Nobu Malibu for around 25 years, was in the back seat of his vehicle and was believed to have been sleeping before starting his shift at the restaurant.

‘He was resting, getting ready for a catering gig,’ a fellow Nobu chef said. ‘We all get here really early.’

Uchimiya suffered multiple blunt-force injuries and died at the scene, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner. His death was ruled an accident.

The teenage driver has been identified by authorities but has not been publicly named because he is a minor.

No charges have been announced and the investigation remains ongoing.

Authorities have said there was no indication the boy was under the influence at the time of the collision.

One witness described seeing the teenager looking stunned and confused in the aftermath.

‘I heard throughout the day that maybe he didn’t even have a license,’ she said. ‘He’s a young kid. He looked very young and very confused and his parents didn’t even show up to find him. He was sitting there for two hours by himself.’

The ferocity of the impact left Uchimiya’s colleagues struggling to comprehend what had happened.

‘Guy must have been flying,’ one fellow chef said. ‘Out of all the parked cars out here, why did it have to be this one?’

A neighbor who heard the collision said emergency crews arrived roughly 11 minutes later, but several more minutes passed before rescuers discovered Uchimiya trapped inside the wreckage.

‘I heard them say, “There’s someone in here,”‘ the neighbor recalled.

‘It took about nine minutes for them to cut into the car and get him out.’

Uchimiya’s death has devastated the tight-knit staff at Nobu Malibu, the celebrity magnet overlooking the Pacific where he had spent a quarter of a century.

Nobu Malibu was closed on Saturday as stunned staff mourned their longtime colleague. Flowers and handwritten messages were later left outside the restaurant.

‘Obviously, it’s been a very, very difficult day for so many people,’ the restaurant’s manager told KTLA, saying its ‘family of staffers’ was supporting Uchimiya’s loved ones.

‘He was a real nice guy, very talented chef,’ a coworker said. ‘It’s such a shame.’

Steven Zaw, a friend whose children attended the same school as Uchimiya’s, remembered him as an avid skier and climber as well as a gifted chef.

‘He’s an amazing human being, great skier. Taught his kids how to ski. We went on a lot of ski trips together,’ Zaw said.

‘Amazing chef. He wanted to open a restaurant in Long Beach. On the ski trips he made great meals. Cooks way better than me. He loved climbing. We loved him.’

Uchimiya leaves behind his wife and two sons.

The stretch of Pacific Coast Highway running through Malibu where the accident occurred is notorious for accidents.

The 21-mile section has averaged around four crash-related deaths every year over the past decade.

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