A naked man walking around the 60/91/215 freeway interchange in downtown Riverside Friday leapt to his death when a California Highway Patrol officer tried to communicate with him.
The fatality occurred shortly after 7 a.m. Friday at the transition from northbound I-215 to the westbound 91, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Officer Javier Navarro told City News Service that motorists called 911 to report the pedestrian wandering the connector ramp, apparently oblivious to morning rush-hour traffic.
A big rig driver and several other motorists pulled to the shoulder, possibly trying to make contact with the man.
Navarro said a CHP unit reached the location minutes later and spotted the pedestrian “leaning on the edge” of the transition bridge.
“The officer attempted to speak to the man, when he jumped off the transition and landed on the westbound Moreno Valley (60) Freeway,” the CHP spokesman said.
The fall was nearly 100 feet.
No vehicles struck him in the slow-moving traffic after he plummeted onto the freeway.
Riverside Fire Department crews reached the location within a few minutes and pronounced the man, whose identity has not been confirmed, dead at the scene.
No other injuries were reported.
CHP officers shut down the entire I-215 transition bridge until 10 a.m., when it was partially reopened.
A SigAlert was issued at 7:45 a.m. because of the traffic jam stemming from the lane closures.
As of 4 p.m. Friday, two transition lanes remained closed, leaving one open.
The interchange is a major conduit for traffic going in all directions within the metropolitan area.
An investigation was underway into the fatality. Anyone with information was asked to contact the CHP in Riverside at 951-324-7210.