Man charged with murder after a DUI crash that killed an off-duty Costa Mesa Fire Captain

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 6, 2018

MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER FOR DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS AND COLLIDING WITH OFF-DUTY COSTA MESA FIRE & RESCUE CAPTAIN

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was charged today with ­­­­­murder for driving under the influence of drugs and colliding with off-duty Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Captain Mike Kreza, who was cycling in Mission Viejo.

Defendant: Stephen Taylor Scarpa, 25, Mission Viejo

Charged today with:

• One felony count of murder

Maximum Sentence: 15 years to life in state prison

Arraignment on Nov. 6, 2018, time to be determined at Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana

Circumstances of the Case

• On Nov. 3, 2018, at approximately 8:00 a.m., Scarpa is accused of driving a van eastbound on Alicia Parkway near Via Burgos in Mission Viejo while under the influence of multiple controlled substances.
• The defendant is accused of driving into the bike lane, onto the sidewalk, and striking cyclist 44-year-old Mike Kreza, an off-duty Captain and 18-year veteran of Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue, who was rendered unconscious with severe head and body trauma.
• Witnesses called 911 and emergency medical responders transported Kreza to a local hospital in critical condition.
• The Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) Major Accident Reconstruction Team investigated this case and located several prescription medications in Scarpa’s vehicle.
• An OCSD drug recognition expert evaluated Scarpa and arrested the defendant at the scene.
• On Nov. 5, 2018, Captain Mike Kreza died at the hospital as a result of injuries sustained in the collision, leaving behind a wife and three young girls.

Prosecutor: Senior Deputy District Attorney Daniel Feldman, Homicide Unit

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