Manhattan Beach Police last Friday discovered the body of a 49-year-old Hermosa Beach resident under a car in the 300 block of South Peck Avenue.

According to Manhattan Beach Police Sgt. Tony DiGenova, officers found the body of Bradley Ellis Feb. 21 at about 9:30 p.m. underneath a crashed car located near a construction site next to Mira Costa High School.

“The matter is currently under investigation and we have called in the Sheriff’s Department to assist us,” said DiGenova. “We are treating this incident as a homicide but it could also be treated as an accident.”

Officers patrolling the area noticed the abandoned car situated on a steep hill and upon a further search they found Ellis’ body.

The 1960s Chevrolet Corvair was involved in what appeared to be a rollover accident that crashed on a Manhattan Beach side street.

Officers then called firefighters and paramedics who pronounced Ellis dead at the scene.

According to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, the crashed car belonged to an employee who returned to the scene shortly after police arrived with Ellis’ car. The employee told police Ellis let him borrow his car to run an errand.

The coroner’s officers has deferred the cause of death until additional toxicology results are reviewed.

Ellis, a general contractor, was a well-known and longtime resident of Hermosa Beach.

Hermosa Beach Mayor Sam Edgerton knew Ellis very well. They both have sons in the sixth grade at Hermosa Valley School.

“He was such a fantastic and beautiful guy,” said Edgerton. “He was the essence of cool, and the school and Little League community are both so devastated by this loss.”

Ellis’ wife is the president of Valley’s Parent Teacher Organization and a volunteer with the Hermosa Beach Little League. Ellis also has a son in his early 20s.

The Manhattan Beach School District hired Ellis to build its new administrative building and Mira Costa’s rubberized track. He also built the batting cages at Clark Stadium in Hermosa Beach.