Man Who Jumped To His Death From RivCo Overpass Was 'Very Special'

RIVERSIDE, CA — A 27-year-old man who plunged to his death Sunday night amid a police welfare check in Riverside was identified Wednesday by the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner's Bureau.

Daniel Guzman of Moreno Valley was pronounced dead just before 9 p.m. after he jumped off a freeway overpass and landed on westbound state Route 60, about a half-mile east of Main Street. According to the coroner, the plunge was made from the westbound state Route 91 overpass.

The incident began as a welfare check. Officers responded to the University neighborhood to check on a man, later identified as Guzman, who was possibly distraught, Riverside Police Officer Ryan J. Railsback said.

Several minutes later, officers spotted Guzman driving a vehicle and attempted to contact him, but he failed to yield, Railsback said.

"He stopped on the 60/215/91 freeway interchange, got out, then jumped off. He was located below and pronounced deceased," according to Railsback.

During an investigation into the incident, the California Highway Patrol issued a SigAlert. Northbound Interstate 215 traffic was diverted to a collector road at Main Street and the transition from the northbound 215 to the 91 freeway was closed.

A GoFundMe page, in which P.F. Chang's is listed as the organizer, reads: "With the sadness of our hearts, we lost someone very special. On November 26, 2023, Daniel Guzman unfortunately passed away. Daniel was a bright, funny, and hardworking charismatic person. We've lost someone very special to all of us. He was a huge part of P.F. Chang's Riverside. We would love to give back to him and his family. We ask to keep the family in our prayers and to help them through this hard time. Let's come together and show how much love he has shown us."

As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, the page had raised $1,780.