82°F
weather icon Clear

California firefighter critically hurt in suspected DUI crash

MISSION VIEJO, Calif. — Police officers, firefighters, sheriff’s deputies and members of the public turned out for a candlelight vigil for a Southern California fire captain who’s in critical condition after being hit by a car while riding his bicycle.

Officials say Mike Kreza, an 18-year veteran of Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue, was off duty when he was struck by a van Saturday morning in Mission Viejo.

The Orange County Register says Kreza was found lying in the road unresponsive with visible head and body trauma.

The van driver stayed at the scene and investigators determined he was under the influence of a controlled substance at the time of the collision.

The newspaper says 25-year-old Stephen Taylor Scarpa could face charges including DUI. It wasn’t known Sunday if he has an attorney.

MOST READ
Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Israel retrieves the body of a Thai hostage

Israel said Saturday it retrieved the body of a Thai hostage abducted into the Gaza Strip during the Hamas-led terrorist attack that sparked the war, as Israel’s military continued its offensive, killing at least 95 people in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.

Four Israeli soldiers killed in southern Gaza

The military said four Israeli soldiers were killed Friday in southern Gaza when an explosive detonated as they searched a Hamas compound in Khan Younis, causing part of a building to collapse.

Man mistakenly deported to El Salvador returned to US for indictment

Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s abrupt release from El Salvador closes one chapter and opens another in a saga that yielded a remarkable, months-long standoff between Trump officials and the courts.

Trump announces travel ban affecting a dozen countries

President Donald Trump is resurrecting the travel ban policy from his first term, signing a proclamation preventing people from a dozen countries from entering the United States.

MORE STORIES