O.C. fire captain kills himself in jump onto 5 Freeway in Mission Viejo
An Orange County Fire Authority captain from Huntington Beach killed himself Tuesday morning by jumping from the Crown Valley Parkway overpass onto the 5 Freeway and into oncoming traffic.
The man was identified as Capt. Eric Weuve, 41, who has worked for the OCFA for 11 years, OCFA spokesman Larry Kurtz said. At the time of his death, he was with Truck 64, based in Westminster.
Kurtz said witnesses saw Weuve park his pickup truck on the overpass, walk over to the edge of the bridge and jump into traffic.
OCFA firefighters responded to the call at 11:15 a.m., and were surprised when they realized the man was one of their own, according to Kurtz.
“[Weuve] was considered an outstanding captain and was respected in the community,†Kurtz said. “He will be sorely missed.â€
The southbound 5 Freeway was closed for a little over an hour, Kurtz said.
The OCFA Incident Stress Debriefing Team was sent to the scene to counsel grieving firefighters, Kurtz said.
At about 2 p.m. Wednesday, Kurtz said, Weuve’s body was en route from the coroner’s office to a mortuary in Orange.
Kurtz said Weuve is survived by his wife, a 15-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter.
The incident is being investigated by the California Highway Patrol and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
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