July 24, 2018; Tallahassee, FL, USA; A multi-car accident shuts down Interstate 10, causing gridlock in both directions near the Monroe Street exit on Tuesday, July 24, 2018. Mandatory Credit: Joe Rondone-USA TODAY NETWORK
San Diego, California – A man who clung to the edge of an overpass above Interstate 5 near Mission Bay for nearly 19 hours — reportedly in an attempt to set a bizarre record — was taken into custody Tuesday morning, ending a chaotic episode that snarled traffic for miles and tested the patience of commuters across San Diego.
The incident began around 12:30 p.m. Monday, when the man scaled the southern edge of the Clairemont Drive overpass, prompting California Highway Patrol officers to shut down northbound lanes of I-5 as they attempted to coax him down. Traffic quickly backed up into surrounding neighborhoods and major freeway junctions, including I-8, as drivers scrambled to find alternate routes.
Initially, the man told officers he was neither suicidal nor suffering from a mental health crisis. Instead, he claimed to be attempting to break some sort of record for time and “occurrences” spent perched on the edge of a bridge, according to CHP. After about an hour, he descended onto the sidewalk, allowing traffic to resume temporarily.
But the ordeal was far from over.
Just after 7 p.m., the man returned to the overpass ledge, triggering another round of freeway closures. Northbound lanes were shut down again, followed by southbound lanes two hours later. By 11:30 p.m., officers had deemed his position safe enough to reopen the road, only to shut it down once more at sunrise Tuesday as the man resumed his dangerous post.
CHP and San Diego police were finally able to detain the man safely at about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. He was transported to UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest for evaluation, San Diego police said.
Authorities have not yet released the man’s identity, and it remains unclear whether he will face criminal charges for the disruption, which left thousands of commuters stuck for hours and disrupted freeway flow throughout the city.
Mental health professionals continue to urge the public to take potential crises seriously, even if incidents appear to be stunts. If you or someone you know is struggling, call the San Diego Crisis Hotline at (888) 724-7240 or the national hotline at 988.
