DEL MAR – A person died Friday afternoon after leaping from the Del Mar Heights Road overpass onto Interstate 5, bringing northbound freeway traffic to a standstill for more than four hours during one of the busiest travel periods of the holiday season.
The incident was reported at 12:43 p.m. when multiple 911 callers alerted California Highway Patrol that someone had climbed over the railing of the bridge, approximately 90 feet above the freeway.
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San Diego police officers and CHP units rushed to the scene and attempted to make contact with the individual, who witnesses described as an adult standing outside the protective fencing. Moments later, the person jumped.
Despite immediate response from paramedics staged nearby, the individual was pronounced dead at the scene. No vehicles on the freeway were struck, and no other injuries were reported.
All five northbound lanes of I-5 were shut down just south of the Via de la Valle exit, forcing traffic onto surface streets in Carmel Valley and Del Mar. Southbound lanes remained open, but rubbernecking delays stretched back nearly eight miles. The closure was fully lifted shortly before 5 p.m.
The San Diego Medical Examiner’s Office will release the person’s identity after family members have been notified. Investigators have not yet determined whether a note was left or if the incident is connected to any prior police or mental-health calls.
Witnesses described a heartbreaking scene as drivers below pulled over and some attempted to render aid until first responders arrived.
“I looked up and saw the silhouette against the sky, then it happened so fast,” said Maria Costello, who was heading north with her children. “My heart just sank. I’ve been crying ever since.”
Crisis intervention teams from the San Diego Police Department and NAMI San Diego responded to the scene to support witnesses and first responders. The department reminded the public that the 24/7 National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can be reached simply by dialing or texting 988.Caltrans officials noted that the Del Mar Heights Bridge is one of several local overpasses that still lack extended anti-climb fencing, though barrier upgrades are scheduled to begin in 2026 as part of a broader freeway suicide-prevention initiative.
Traffic through the area returned to normal by evening, but for many who saw or heard about Friday’s tragedy, the stretch of I-5 beneath the bridge will never feel quite the same.