Dad & Firefighter Who Was Training for Triathlon Is Struck on His Bike by Alleged DUI Driver

Photo: Costa Mesa Fire Department

Mike Kreza, who was married with children and had served in the Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Department for 18 years, was struck in Mission Viejo on Saturday, according to the fire & rescue department’snews release.

“From initial witness statements, the driver of a van struck the victim while he was riding his bicycle eastbound on Alicia Parkway,” the Orange County Sheriff’s Department saidin its own news release.

Kreza was taken to a hospital with injuries to his head and body. He had been training for the IRONMAN triathlon in Arizona,according to the Costa Mesa Fire Fighters Association.

The driver, identified as 25-year-old Stephen Taylor Scarpa, was arrested on Saturday for felony driving under the influence and remains in custody in lieu of $2 million bail, according toonline jail records.

• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage?Click hereto get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

Scarpa will be arraigned on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the OCSD tells PEOPLE. It was not immediately clear whether he has an attorney who could comment on his behalf.

Ina statement on Twitter Monday, Kreza’s fire department mourned his passing:

“RIP brother Mike, we love you!” added the fire department, which held a procession for Kreza from Mission Hospital to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Before Kreza’s death, the fire departmenttweetedthat he was “still unresponsive and in critical condition” and that “the next several hours are critical.”

AGoFundMeset up for the Kreza family has raised more than $144,000, more than quintupling its $25,000 goal.

source: people.com