Man Clinging To Edge Of Overpass Prompts Full Closure Of I-5 In San Diego

SAN DIEGO, CA — The presence of a possibly suicidal man perched on an Interstate 5 overpass near the Del Mar Fairgrounds shut down a stretch of Interstate 5 Friday in northern San Diego, causing significant traffic delays for several hours in the area.

The California Highway Patrol received a report shortly after 11:30 a.m. that a pedestrian was sitting on the edge of the Del Mar Heights Road bridge over I-5's northbound lanes, according to the CHP.

The CHP closed the northbound side of the freeway by shortly after noon, while a crisis negotiator tried to talk the man off the overpass. Traffic on the interstate turned to gridlock for miles to the south. By 2:25 p.m., the man was making his way toward the other end of the bridge, prompting authorities to close the southbound lanes, according to the CHP.

"The situation is ongoing with the intent to preserve human safety," the CHP said on social media. "Please avoid the area and check back for updates."

About five minutes later, he returned to the eastern side of the overpass, and the CHP reopened the southbound side of the freeway. At 3:45 p.m., however, the man was crossing over to the western side of the bridge once again, and a short time later the CHP instituted a full closure of the freeway in the area.

"The situation is still active and ongoing," the San Diego Police Department said on social media. "The San Diego Police Department along with San Diego Fire has significant resources on scene in effort to help bring this situation to a safe conclusion. Significant traffic delays are still expected for the time being."

By 7:55 p.m., the man was safely taken into police custody, police said. The CHP began the process of reopening traffic in the area.

"Incident brought to a safe conclusion," the CHP said. "All lanes are open."

City News Service contributed to this report.