A Costa Mesa fire captain who was struck and critically injured in a crash involving a suspected DUI driver while cycling over the weekend has died, officials announced Monday.
Costa Mesa Fire and Rescue Capt. Mike Kreza was riding a bicycle shortly after 8 a.m. Saturday on Alicia Parkway near Via Burgos in Mission Viejo when he was struck by the driver of a van.
Kreza, who was training for an Ironman triathlon, suffered apparent trauma to the head and body and was rushed to a hospital. He remained in critical condition until he died Monday morning. The captain, an 18-year veteran with the fire department, was off duty at the time.
“Words alone cannot describe the immeasurable heartache felt by his friends & family, including his fire family,” the fire department said in a statement on Twitter announcing Kreza’s death.
Our brother, Mike Kreza passed away early this morning. Words alone cannot describe the immeasurable heartache felt by his friends & family, including his fire family.
No further information will be provided at this time.
RIP brother Mike, we love you! pic.twitter.com/g7IXcRDu48
— Costa Mesa FD (@CMFD_PIO) November 5, 2018
“RIP brother Mike, we love you!” the statement read.
The driver of the van, Stephen Taylor Scarpa, 25, remained at the scene, where an Orange County sheriff’s deputy evaluated him for DUI. Scarpa appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance at the time of the crash, and officials also found multiple prescription medications inside his vehicle, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Scarpa was arrested and booked into jail on $100,000 bail.
Kreza is survived by his wife and three daughters.
Later Monday morning, the fire department tweeted that they were “overwhelmed with the love & support from our collective communities.”
A procession followed Kreza’s body from Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo to the Orange County Coroner’s Office in Santa Ana Monday morning.
A GoFundMe page had been set up for Kreza and his family. It had raised more than $75,000 by Monday.
