Crime & Safety

Witness Tried to Stop I-5 Freeway Suicide Victim

A new witness has come forward to shed light on a violent and public suicide from Monday evening.

An unidentified young man hurled himself into I-5 traffic around 6:30 p.m. Monday, leaving drivers and passengers badly shaken. Before reaching the freeway, the man apparently threw himself in front of a vehicle on Marguerite Parkway in Mission Viejo.

Patch reader Kenneth Bennett provides this report:

My son and I were driving behind the car on Marguerite Parkway that the pedestrian first hurled himself into, and being in the front passenger seat, I witnessed the whole horrifying scene in what seemed like slow motion.

We pulled over and I got out and unsuccessfully tried to convince the man to stay put while I spoke with 911. Incredibly, the man managed to get up and strangely asked me "Where's my cell phone?"

I dared not touch him, because I did not know how badly he was hurt, if he was high on drugs, or what other freakish act he might do. After collecting himself for some moments and tearing off his shirt, he 
looked at me with wild eyes and said something like "Dude, let's do this."

Then he ran off.

I tried following him, because with such a massive injury to his head, I did not think he could go very far. However, I lost track of him as he sprinted into the Burlington Coat Factory parking lot, so I returned to assist the poor young driver who was in the car the pedestrian struck, and to wait for emergency response to arrive.

Awhile later I learned from law enforcement that the man had made his way over to the Interstate 5 north and threw himself into oncoming traffic there to end his life.

  • Did you know the man who died? Leave your condolences below on our comment board.


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