West Coast’s main freeway snarled by EIGHT HOUR traffic jam while cops tried to talk suicidal man down from overpass

A portion of Interstate 5 that cuts through San Diego has experienced an eight-hour traffic jam after police shut down the road to speak with a suicidal man.

The gridlock stretched for miles, causing chaos and frustration on Friday as one of the city’s vital arteries for motorists became unusable and people became trapped on the road.

Shortly after 11.30am California Highway Patrol (CHP) received a report of a man who appeared to be 30 to 40 years old sitting on the edge of the Del Mar Heights Road bridge that passes over I-5’s northbound lanes.

The man was holding on to the north San Diego bridge’s fence, according to CHP. Four patrol officers from the San Diego Police Department responded to the call.

Officers’ initial attempts to talk the man down from his perch were unsuccessful, so two specially-trained crisis negotiators were summoned.

By noon, the northbound side of the freeway was closed, and the negotiators – a San Diego detective and an FBI agent who both spoke Spanish – were trying to convince the man to come down.

The man in crisis said that he had been fighting with his wife and was living in his car.

Over the next few hours he walked back and forth across the bridge three times, prompting police to close the southbound lanes, reopen them, and then completely close the freeway in the area at 3.45pm.

Shortly after 11.30am on Friday California Highway Patrol received a report of a man on the edge of the Del Mar Heights Road bridge that passes over I-5’s northbound lanes in San Diego

The gridlock lasted eight hours and stretched for miles, causing chaos and frustration as people became trapped on the road

As negotiators spoke to the man, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department officials blew up their air cushion, a 30-by-30-foot inflatable pillow, below the bridge.

The man finally agreed to come down a little before 8pm. He climbed through a hole in the fence cut by firefighters, was given a water bottle and taken into custody.

Police said he was taken in for a psychiatric evaluation and likely placed on a 72-hour hold.

The ordeal made waves on social media, with people describing their experiences and warning fellow residents to avoid the highway at all costs.

On the San Diego Reddit community, one user made a post titled: ‘PSA avoid the 5 north.’

‘Traffic is probably the worst I’ve seen it in some time. Forced to exit @ Del Mar Heights, if you can get there,’ the user wrote.

One commenter said: ‘I got off at work at 3pm and won’t be home till 8pm… The police need to be better I have work at 1am and still stuck this is utter bs.’

Officers’ initial attempts to talk the man down from his perch were unsuccessful, so two specially trained crisis negotiators were summoned

The man finally agreed to come down a little before 8pm. He climbed through a hole in the fence cut by firefighters, was given a water bottle and taken into custody

On X motorists posted about people stuck in traffic with nowhere to relieve themselves.

Another user on Reddit described the chaos: ‘I just spent 3 hours going from Sorrento Valley to Torrey Hills and people are driving angry and honking and cutting each other off,’ they wrote.

‘I exited because someone was chasing and honking at someone and yelling from their car.’

‘Yup so many people were driving down the shoulder and I almost got hit multiple times,’ someone replied.

Many on social media questioned the way police handled the situation, saying the response should have been more well-organized and more on-ramps should have been closed to prevent drivers from getting trapped.

Speaking to the San Diego Union Tribune, city officials said they would respond to a similar situation in the future the same way.

Many on social media questioned the way police handled the situation, saying the response should have been more well-organized and more on-ramps should have been closed

San Diego police acknowledged motorists’ frustration, but said their main goal was ‘to ensure the safety of everyone involved, including someone who may be looking to harm themselves.’

Police spokesperson Cesar Jimenez blamed the severity of the gridlock on a combination of factors. ‘It was a perfect storm between timing, location, and the decision of the individual involved,’ he said.

San Diego police Lt Dan Sayasane, who oversees an emergency negotiation team, explained that the ‘main goal’ of crisis negotiation standard procedure is to ‘get the person off safely without an incident.’

‘So we will take that time, as much time as needed, to try to do that,’ he added.

If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org.