SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — A 28-year-old man was killed early this morning when he drove into a tree southwest of Boulder Creek in Santa Cruz County, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The driver, a Santa Cruz resident, was driving a 1998 Chevrolet Blazer on southbound Empire Grade Road near Alba Road around 1 a.m. and lost control of the vehicle, CHP officials said. The Chevrolet left the road and crashed into a tree near the Fall Creek Unit of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, according to the CHP.

A passerby who saw the vehicle off the road stopped to help and called 911, CHP officials said. The driver, a Santa Cruz resident, was pronounced dead at the scene about 30 minutes later, according to the CHP.

Investigators are looking into whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash, CHP officials said. One-way traffic control was in effect for about three-and-a-half hours after the crash while officers conducted an investigation, according to the CHP.