Police arrest bridge-jumper

February 11, 2014

Police this weekend arrested an allegedly drunk man who jumped from the Newport Bay Bridge.

Newport Beach police got a call about 4 p.m. Saturday that someone was sitting on the south side of the East Coast Highway bridge that spans the bay near Dover Drive, Newport Beach Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella said.

Minutes later, another call came in saying the man had jumped. An officer, worried that it was a suicide attempt, arrived on the scene almost immediately after that call, according to police

The officer found the jumper walking back up toward the bridge, where he'd left some personal property, Manzella said.

"It appears less of a suicide attempt and more of a thrill-seeking adventure," she explained.

Lenny James Miedzialko, 23, was arrested on suspicion of public intoxication and booked into Newport Beach Jail, Manzella said.

He told officers he was jumping into the water for excitement, Manzella said.

Miedzialko's last known address was in Laguna Beach, but he described himself as a transient, according to police.

— Jeremiah Dobruck

Twitter: @jeremiahdobruck

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