Irvine : Mentally Disabled Man Found Lost, Crying

A 45-year-old Oceanside man, described by relatives as mentally disabled and suffering from epilepsy, has been found after a day and a half of wandering around the Irvine-El Toro area, according to his sister and a spokeswoman for authorities.

Reynaldo Riojas wandered away from a soccer game at UC Irvine about 10 a.m. Sunday, and relatives notified campus police, who advised surrounding police agencies, according to campus spokeswoman Linda Granell.

Riojas’ sister, Rose Riojas of Irvine, said Wednesday that the family was notified late Monday night when he turned up at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana.

Reynaldo Riojas, who requires medication, apparently wandered to El Toro, where a passing woman saw him crying by the side of the road and drove him to a nearby service station, his sister said. There, attendants telephoned paramedics who transported him to the hospital, where Riojas gave his brother’s name. Hospital officials telephoned the brother in San Marcos, who notified relatives living in Irvine, Rose Riojas said.

“He’s a little sore because he never stopped walking,” Rose Riojas said. Relatives have returned her brother to Oceanside where he lives with his mother, she said.