SANTA MONICA, Calif. - A man drove his Jeep off the the sixth floor of a Los Angeles-area parking garage early Sunday and was taken to a hospital in critical condition, authorities said.

When officers arrived shortly after midnight, they found the destroyed vehicle up against a McDonald’s restaurant across the street from the garage in Santa Monica, police said.

They said the 20-year-old driver, who was not immediately identified, was conscious and speaking with officers when they arrived.

Firefighters extricated him from the wreckage and took him to a local trauma centre, where he was listed in critical condition, the Santa Monica Fire Department said.

Two passengers inside the Jeep were able to jump out before it went off the roof, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Police in the coastal city were investigating the cause. Because the man was receiving medical treatment, investigators weren’t yet able to determine whether drugs or alcohol were a factor, the newspaper said.