Amnesiac Jogger Recovers Memory

A mystery jogger who walked into a Newport Beach hospital suffering from amnesia--and no memory of his name--recovered by himself and was released, a hospital spokeswoman said Sunday.

Brett Backus, of Orlando, Fla., had walked into Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian on Wednesday about 6:30 a.m. garbed in gray jogging pants and sneakers. He told hospital staff he did not know who he was or where he lived.

After several days in the hospital, Backus “simply recovered his memory,” said Debra Legan, a hospital spokeswoman.

Backus’ father was contacted and made arrangements to have his son flown from California to Florida.

Newport Beach police took Backus’ fingerprints and gave his description to the media, but he could not be identified.

Neither authorities nor hospital staff could say what triggered the memory loss or Backus’ recovery. Police said he appeared to be in his 20s. No information was given about why Backus was in California.