Prank Bridge Jumper Causes Brouhaha

No one was hurt, but a bridge jumper in Ladera Ranch created a stir Tuesday, causing deputies to dispatch five patrol units and a heat-seeking helicopter to search for a body in the dense brush below a Crown Valley Parkway bridge.

Alarmed witnesses reported seeing a teen jump off the bridge, but when deputies arrived, there was no one to be found, said Orange County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Dan Dwyer. After searching for two hours and interviewing witnesses, officers concluded an unknown teen jumped off the bridge while friends taped the stunt.

Although it looked to passersby like a potential fatal fall, the teen actually jumped off an end of the bridge where the drop was only about 10 feet, said Dwyer.

The call came in at 4:15 p.m. and officers were scouring the scene until shortly after 6 p.m. when they confirmed the incident was not a suicide.

The kids involved scattered before deputies arrived, but because of dense brush below the bridge, deputies couldn’t immediately be sure no one was below, according to Dwyer.

“We had our helicopter respond because we didn’t know if someone had jumped,” Dwyer said.