Man Jumps Off Bridge In Front of Mom

A 22-year-old man was in critical condition after jumping off the Oso Parkway bridge that spans Mission Viejo and Las Flores on Saturday.

The man, a former area resident who was visiting with his mother, , officials said.

The bridge, 96 feet above Trabuco Creek, was closed to traffic while emergency personnel conducted a rescue operation, which included use of the Orange County Fire Authority helicopter.

The helicopter hovered over the creekbed while the man was loaded onto a gurney; he was then lifted to the bridge and then placed in the helicopter, which flew him to Mission Hospital.

According to Lt. Steve Gil of the Orange County Sheriff's Department, the man was in critical condition.

"It's amazing that this guy survived," Gil said at 11:30 p.m. Saturday. A 911 call was made at 4:41 p.m.

According to Gil, the victim and his mother previously lived in the area and were visiting nearby. The man, who was "obviously distraught about something," left the residence and walked away from his mother.

"She drove onto the bridge to coax him back into the car,"  Gil said. "She got out of the car. He instead got on the rail and jumped over. ... There was no fight, there was no struggle. It was all verbal in terms of trying to coax him into the car."

Traffic was shut down on the north side of the bridge for about 15 minutes, Gil said, while the helicopter landed.