A veteran Nobu chef was killed when a teenage driver speeding on California’s notoriously hazardous Pacific Coast Highway crashed into his parked car as he slept inside before work.

Disturbing surveillance video shows a Range Rover driven by a 16-year-old boy hurtling into the rear of 51-year-old Ryo Uchimiya’s vehicle outside Nobu Malibu early Saturday morning.

The force of the collision propelled Uchimiya’s sedan into two other parked cars, triggering a devastating chain-reaction crash.

Uchimiya, a much-loved sushi chef who had worked at the celebrity-favorite restaurant for 25 years, suffered multiple blunt-force injuries and died, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner.

His death was classified as accidental.

The father of two had arrived early for work and was napping in his car before starting his shift when the SUV struck at about 6:50 a.m., according to KTLA.

A colleague told the New York Post that Uchimiya had been preparing for a catering assignment and planned to rest for only about 30 minutes.

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

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigators believe the teenager was speeding before the collision.

A witness said the boy appeared stunned and confused after the crash.

‘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.’

Investigators found no indication that the 16-year-old had been under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The devastating impact left Uchimiya’s colleagues stunned.

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

A neighbor said he heard the violent crash from the building where it happened and hurried outside to investigate.

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Emergency crews arrived roughly 11 minutes later, but several additional minutes passed before responders realized someone was trapped inside the wrecked vehicle.

‘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.’

He then watched rescuers desperately work on Uchimiya for several minutes.

News of the chef’s death devastated staff at Nobu Malibu, where Uchimiya had spent a quarter-century building a reputation as both a talented chef and cherished colleague.

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

A valet remembered Uchimiya as a ‘really nice guy’ who would routinely wave as he passed.

Others were simply too distraught to discuss what had happened.

‘We’re not ready to talk about it now,’ a Nobu hostess said. ‘We all need time.’

The restaurant’s manager said its tight-knit ‘family of staffers’ was rallying around Uchimiya’s wife and two sons.

‘Obviously, it’s been a very, very difficult day for so many people,’ the manager told KTLA.

Nobu Malibu was closed on Saturday as workers mourned their longtime colleague, while flowers and handwritten notes were left outside in his memory.

People living and working around Nobu told KTLA motorists routinely barrel along the stretch above the speed limit.

Former Malibu mayor Jefferson ‘Zuma Jay’ Wagner, who owns a surf shop across the street from Nobu, said dangerous encounters are a familiar sight.

‘I’m right across the street from Nobu. I see it all the time,’ Wagner told The California Post.

‘They get out, they don’t look in their mirrors. They hit the cyclists, run into car doors.’

Taylor Swift is giving fans a closer look at the making of her “Patient Zero” music video through newly released footage available exclusively on Apple Music.

The 36-year-old singer shared a video bundle on Saturday featuring the track, its original visual and an expanded eight-minute version packed with behind-the-scenes moments.

The new footage also clears up the subject of one particularly heated exchange between the video’s stars, Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell.

With the music removed, the 37-year-old actress and 50-year-old actor can be heard passionately debating whether Brendan Fraser appeared in “Tarzan” or “George of the Jungle.”

“I’m telling you, Brendan Fraser was Tarzan!” Johnson insists, prompting Farrell to fire back: “George of the Jungle!”

Swift poked fun at the absurd argument, describing it as “the dumbest fight ever.”

The over-the-top dispute unfolds across a large dining table, with Johnson and Farrell positioned at opposite ends while shouting across the room.

The behind-the-scenes release also shows Swift stepping into her role as director, working alongside acclaimed cinematographer Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki.

“I’ve been wanting to make this video my entire life,” Swift says at the start of the clip.

“Patient Zero” made its premiere at the MTV Video Music Awards last Sunday.

Reflecting on the production months before the awards ceremony, Swift said: “Walking through here and seeing the way that Chivo has lit this and the way the sets are and how brilliantly Ethan [Tobman] has done this production design, I’m kind of rethinking the release of the video.”

She then jokingly suggested: “Like, I need to figure out a way to get this on TV or something.”

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In the behind-the-scenes footage recorded in March 2025, the singer-songwriter also quipped: “I’m like, Ethan, Google: when are the VMAs?”

The track appears on the deluxe edition of Swift’s album The Life of a Showgirl. Its storyline follows a woman who escapes an abusive relationship before helping her former partner’s new girlfriend, who is enduring a similar ordeal.

In the Patient Zero clip, Johnson and Farrell play a seemingly perfect couple, until the toxic nature of the romance comes to light. 

Swift appears as a ghost who quietly tries to warn Johnson of imminent doom.

She won the inaugural Artist Director Honors award at Sunday’s awards ceremony.

In a heartfelt Instagram caption shared after the video premiere, the musician wrote: ‘I want to thank @dakotajohnson and Colin for trusting me with their time, taste, and talent (Giggling with your friend because you’re twinning for an entire shoot was a new and truly delightful experience). 

‘And Colin’s turn as a villain is even more impressive when you get to be around him. He’s an absolute light and as kind as they come.’

She added elsewhere in the note, ‘With the Patient Zero video, I got to explore the cinematic and literary genres I love so much. 

‘I wanted to incorporate elements of gothic ghost stories, true crime, psychological thrillers all in a setting I hadn’t really shot in much.’ 

The star thanked MTV in the last part of the caption, writing: ‘Thank you to the @vmas for giving us a World Premiere at the place where celebrating music videos became a thing. And so much love for you guys, always.’

Only eight months after opening, Spanian’s Kebabs appears to be facing an uphill battle at its Newtown restaurant on King Street, one of Sydney’s most competitive hospitality strips.

The venue was reportedly empty on Friday night, with no customers seen inside while nearby restaurants continued serving diners.

YouTuber Spanian, whose real name is Anthony Lees, launched the bricks-and-mortar outlet in January after building a substantial online following. Opening on Newtown’s notoriously demanding King Street was a major bet on his kebab brand.

At first, the move appeared to pay off. Large crowds filled the restaurant on its opening day, fuelling expectations that the business could become a major success.

That initial excitement, however, appears to have cooled. Reports suggest the store has struggled to attract customers during busy lunch periods and even on Friday evenings, despite neighbouring venues continuing to draw strong foot traffic.

The Newtown site also comes with a challenging history.

Mr Potato previously operated from the premises before collapsing dramatically last year. Before that, the shop remained vacant for three years, leading some hospitality operators to view the address as a difficult one to sustain a business in.

Questions about the future of Spanian’s Newtown restaurant have been compounded by a series of harsh customer reviews.

One customer wrote: ‘First time trying Spanian’s kebab and disappointed! Also, no one was even there on a Saturday night except for me ordering. Newtown was packed and not one single person was inside the shop!’

Another reviewer, who said they had travelled from New Zealand to try the food, was similarly unimpressed: ‘Flew in from New Zealand and have been wanting to try his kebabs for some time now. Was so disappointed in them. So bland, and the chicken was so dry. The chips weren’t even seasoned; they tasted like fries I bought from the supermarket and just air-fried myself… all in all, a bad experience and bad food.’

A third reviewer, claiming to work opposite the restaurant, questioned how the business remained viable. ‘I really don’t know how you’re not going broke from this shop, as it’s pretty much empty all the time,’ they wrote.

Any financial difficulties affecting individual locations may not necessarily have a direct impact on Spanian himself, however.

The business operates through a franchise structure, with franchisees reportedly paying between $250,000 and $350,000 plus GST for the right to use the Spanian’s Kebabs brand.

Franchise operators are also responsible for costs such as rent, wages and other ongoing staffing expenses.

With six Spanian’s Kebabs franchises in operation, franchise fees alone could potentially have brought in more than $1.5 million for the wider business.

The brand began as a food truck in Haberfield, in Sydney’s Inner West, before expanding rapidly into a franchise network across New South Wales and other states.

The company’s website currently lists outlets in Gosford, Kogarah, Newtown and Macarthur Square across NSW. Several food truck sites previously linked to the business no longer appear on the list.

Rejecting ‘conspiracy theories’ and suggestions that franchisees had been ‘scammed’ or that locations had shut due to a lack of customers, Spanian insisted the trucks were simply being relocated.

Lees said the Parramatta food truck’s lease had expired, prompting the operators to temporarily relocate to Strathfield before ultimately moving to Brisbane.

‘They’re trucks, they move. That’s why they’re trucks,’ he said.

‘The truck that was in Wyong is the truck in Gosford. The Gosford location is better, more central. They moved there. That’s their right. That’s why it’s a food truck. They move.

‘The truck that was in Wollongong is now getting built in Wollongong CBD on the main street. It’s probably our best store. They’ve been building it for two months. They’re very excited.

‘The Penrith location, the land they were on, the cafe next to it, they went bankrupt, so they lost their lease. So they’re finding a better location. Hopefully, it’s going to be in the Penrith Westfield next to the Oporto’s or Nando’s.’

Lees said the Smeaton Grange food truck was now operating at Macarthur Square Shopping Centre.

He also said Uber Eats orders were up and that three more stores were planned, including locations in Brisbane and Melbourne. 

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Retail expert Barry Urquhart said Spanian’s celebrity status and huge social media following were no guarantee of long-term success, arguing consumers were increasingly less reliant on influencer endorsements when deciding where to spend their money.

‘Recommendations, referrals and endorsements just simply aren’t cutting the mustard at the moment,’ he told the Daily Mail.

‘The presence and influence of influencers has fallen away appreciably.’

Mr Urquhart said Spanian’s popularity may have initially attracted curious customers, but celebrity alone was rarely enough to sustain a hospitality business.

‘There is always a fine line between arrogance and ignorance, and a lot of arrogant people are unknowingly ignorant of the realities of the market forces,’ he said.

‘Most entrepreneurs are terrible at administration. It’s got very little probability of success and sustained growth.’

While Spanian’s public profile resonated with some Australians as a lovable rogue figure in the mould of Ned Kelly or Crocodile Dundee, Mr Urquhart said the novelty appeared to have faded quickly.

‘He did have a profile that was kind of part of the Australian irreverence,’ he said.

‘We’ll give him an audience, and it tired very, very quickly.’

Mr Urquhart said the key to surviving beyond the initial burst of curiosity was converting first-time visitors into loyal customers who returned again and again.

‘A very fundamental tenet of successful business is: what is the lifetime value of the customer? It’s not the one purchase. It’s how often they come back,’ he said.

‘The most effective, cost-efficient way to get business is repeat business.

‘Have loyalty and have a preferred brand.’

He argued Spanian’s Kebabs had failed to establish a distinctive position in an already crowded fast-food market.

‘He hasn’t got a brand. He hasn’t got recognition. He’s got no market positioning that says he’s famous for it,’ Mr Urquhart said.

‘There seems to be no positioning or presence in the marketplace.

‘He’s just selling kebabs now, and not very good ones.’

Mr Urquhart said the reputation of the Newtown address could make the battle even harder.

‘It’s just toxic. If there is a reputation about a location, the probability of success for a business from that location is very, very marginal.

‘The reputation overwhelms the brand. That is figuratively the kiss of death.’

Spanian’s move into hospitality marked another chapter in a dramatic personal transformation.

The influencer-turned-entrepreneur was once Sydney’s poster boy for the working-class youth subculture known as eshays, recognised for tracksuits, bum bags, street slang and a tough image.

Now a businessman and entertainer, he has previous convictions for armed robbery, causing grievous bodily harm with intent and reckless wounding.

His most recent prison sentence was related to operating a criminal drug supply network. In total, he has spent more than 12 years behind bars.

Following his release from prison in 2017, Lees reinvented himself online, eventually launching the hugely successful YouTube series Into the Hood, in which he travels through some of Australia’s and the world’s most dangerous and crime-ridden neighbourhoods.

Sam Wood has been placed on indefinite leave from his multimillion-dollar fitness and nutrition businesses after being charged with alleged domestic violence offences and denied bail.

The 46-year-old was not required to appear at a Queensland court on Monday and will remain in custody until his bail application is heard on Thursday.

Queensland Police charged Wood with assault occasioning bodily harm in a domestic violence context and strangulation in a domestic setting after officers were called to a Noosa property at around 9pm on Saturday.

The company operating his 28 by Sam Wood fitness brand has responded to the allegations, confirming the reality television personality will step away from his professional responsibilities while the matter proceeds.

‘DBG Health, the parent company of 28 by Sam Wood, has zero tolerance for domestic violence,’ a spokesperson for DBG Health said.

‘While the matter is under investigation and before the court, Sam Wood is on indefinite leave from his duties. Our thoughts are with the family and anyone in the community affected by domestic violence,’ the spokesperson added.

The company said Mark Watkins, chief operating officer of 28 Group, would oversee the business during Wood’s absence.

DBG Health, which is owned by billionaire Dennis Bastas, also operates the medical weight-loss company Ollo For Women.

Wood will remain behind bars after proceedings in his domestic violence case were adjourned to allow his legal team to prepare a bail application and formulate his response to the charges.

He did not attend Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Monday, with his lawyer, Mathew Cuskelly, appearing on his behalf.

Mr Cuskelly requested that the matter return to court on Thursday, when Wood is expected to seek bail.

The celebrity personal trainer is expected to stay in the local watchhouse until at least Thursday’s hearing.

Wood, who shares three children with his wife, Snezana, was arrested on Saturday after police were called to a property on Noosa’s Hastings Street, where he had been staying during a holiday.

A Queensland Police spokesperson said officers attended the address at approximately 9pm after receiving a report of alleged domestic violence.

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‘Police have charged a 46-year-old Victorian man with domestic violence offences early this morning, 4 October,’ the spokesperson said.

‘The man has been charged with assault occasioning bodily harm (domestic violence) and strangulation in a domestic setting.’

Mr Cuskelly said Wood planned to contest the allegations and that he would speak with his client again after visiting him in the watchhouse the previous night.

The lawyer said Wood was in good spirits but worried about his family and keen to return to Victoria.

The court developments come after Snezana, who met Wood on The Bachelor in 2015, publicly addressed the allegations on Monday morning. 

‘This is a difficult time for all of us, we are working through this as a family and are thoroughly co-operating with the authorities,’ they said, sharing the statement on both of their Instagram accounts.

Wood’s social media follower count has also fallen dramatically, dropping by thousands amid the allegations.

The fitness entrepreneur married Snezana in an outdoor ceremony in Byron Bay in 2018.

They went on to have three children together, Willow, eight, Charlie, seven, and Harper, four.

They also co-parent  Eve, 21, who is Snezana’s daughter from a previous relationship.

The Woods live in Brighton, Victoria, where they recently purchased a $7 million home in February. 

The celebrity trainer funnelled his Bachelor fame into building his highly successful fitness empire. 

Wood founded the fitness and training business 28 by Sam Wood, which he sold in 2022 for $71 million, and he remains the owner of The Woodshed gym in Melbourne.

Just four months ago, Wood was announced as the face of Ollo For Women, a newly launched platform focused on medical weight loss, nutrition and telehealth.