Stretch of 55 will be named after Costa Mesa firefighter, fatally struck by motorist

A Costa Mesa fire captain who authorities say was fatally struck while riding his bicycle by a suspected DUI motorist is set to get a stretch of the 55 Freeway named in his honor.

The proposal, unanimously approved by the state Senate on Monday, Aug. 26, will name the freeway, from 19th Street to MacArthur Boulevard, the Costa Mesa Fire Captain Michael Kreza Memorial Highway. The Assembly had already approved it.

The 18-year veteran of Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue died Nov. 5, 2018, two days after getting hit while he was off-duty and cycling in Mission Viejo, training for his next Ironman competition.

Sen. Patricia Bates, R-Laguna Niguel, co-authored the resolution with Sen. John Moorlach, R-Costa Mesa.

Kreza lived in Rancho Santa Margarita, a city in Bates’ district.

“There’s so much community interest and it’s hard, especially when we lose hometown heroes,” she said on Tuesday. “I reached out to his family and to the Costa Mesa fire department about doing something to honor him.”

That strip of freeway is close to Station No. 3, where Kreza was first stationed.

“It’s something to remember his career of service to this county,” Bates said.

Two signs, covered by donations, will be put up by Caltrans, perhaps sometime next year.

In a memorial Facebook page run by Kreza’s family, his wife, Shanna, wrote: “I envision when the girls are teenagers they will be able to drive that stretch and see their daddy’s sign every time they go to the beach.”

The 44-year-old’s hospitalization and subsequent death prompted an outpouring of support for his wife, three young daughters and colleagues and led to community events in his honor, including fundraisers and bike rides.

Kreza attended Irvine High School and Santa Ana College. He was a paramedic and firefighter in Seattle, Las Vegas and Big Bear before joining Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue.

The fire captain’s passion for triathlons and other athletic activities earned him the nickname “Ironman Mike.”

Stephen Taylor Scarpa, 25, of Mission Viejo is accused of driving the van while under the influence of a controlled substance. He faces a charge of murder. Scarpa told investigators that he was on prescribed medications.

“Captain Kreza served with distinction and it is right to memorialize him with this segment of the Costa Mesa Freeway,” Moorlach said in a statement. “I’m hoping it will also be a reminder that vehicle operators need to be respectful of bicyclists and pedestrians.”