San Rafael, CA – On Friday, July 21, 2023 at approximately 11:40 am, a California Highway Patrol Marin area officers began receiving reports of a man climbing on the bridge railing along the bicycle path of the upper deck of I-580 westbound, near mid-span of the Richmond San Rafael Bridge.
Officers arrived on scene and located the man on the outer side of the bridge rail. While officers were negotiating with the man to come back over the railing, he climbed onto the support beams and made his way down onto the lower deck. Motorists on the lower deck called 9-1-1 and reporting the male was running in all lanes of eastbound traffic.
All lanes of the lower deck were blocked by responding officers for a short time after which lanes were reopened. The man immediately re-entered the lanes in an attempt to get hit by passing vehicles, causing officers to stop traffic once again.
CHP officers responded to the lower deck as the man climbed over the railing and down to the structure under the lower deck of the bridge. Officers began negotiating and the CHP Golden Gate Division Crisis Negotiations Team was requested to respond to take over negotiations. Due to the precarious position the man was under the span, as well as the inability to negotiate with traffic flowing just feet away, all eastbound lanes remained closed until the conclusion of the incident.
Negotiations lasted for nearly 17-hours before the man agreed to come back up to the lower deck.
Personnel from the Southern Marin Fire District performed the rescue operation beneath the lower structure and brought the man back to the lower deck safely and without incident. The man was taken to a local mental health facility where he will be able to receive on going care. I-580 eastbound was reopened at approximately 7:03 am.
CHP thanked partners at CALTRANS, Southern Marin Fire District, Tiberon Fire District, Contra Costa Fire District, CHP Golden Gate Division Crisis Negotiation Team, United States Coast Guard and Marin Mobile Crisis Unit for their assistance and team work.
CHP also thanked the public for their patients as they worked to resolve the situation while ensuring the safety of everyone involved.
