Man on bridge impacts traffic on Highways 118 and 23 in Moorpark

A man on the bridge at the junction of Highways 118 and 23 in Moorpark shut down some lanes for more than an hour late Sunday afternoon as authorities feared he might jump.

The situation was reported at 4:27 p.m. near the transition between Highway 118 and Highway 23, according to California Highway Patrol reports. The highways transition along a sweeping, elevated curve in the area.

Authorities also closed Princeton Avenue, which passes under the Highway 118 bridge.

The incident ended shortly after 5:20 p.m. when Ventura County Sheriff's negotiators took the man safely into custody after talking to him on the roadway. The Simi Valley man, 56, had been sitting on K-rail along the side of Highway 118 and would have fallen off the bridge if he had leaned back, a sheriff's official said. After the incident, he was taken to a hospital for an evaluation, where he would remain for 72 hours, authorities said.

Authorities closed all northbound lanes of Highway 23 at Los Angeles Avenue as they dealt with the incident, backing traffic up traffic to Tierra Rejada Road. Northbound lanes were opened by about 5:40 p.m.

Westbound Highway 118 was also closed for a time, although authorities opened one lane to the southbound 23 before 5 p.m. The backup on the westbound 118 extended to Collins Drive for a time. By 5:23 p.m., westbound lanes had fully reopened, and Princeton Avenue opened shortly thereafter.

Gretchen Wenner covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at gretchen.wenner@vcstar.com or 805-437-0270.