Update on 10/14/25: The suspect was found dead in the river, according to Virginia State Police.
Earlier: An early morning car chase today ended with the suspect jumping from the 14th Street Bridge, landing on a catwalk and making an escape, police say.
The chase started just before 5 a.m. after a Virginia State Police trooper tried to stop a vehicle on I-95 for reckless driving. It wound its way to northbound I-395 where troopers deployed spike strips and were able to stop the vehicle just before it reached the District, according to VSP.
The driver then got out and hopped a bridge railing onto a catwalk below, just escaping from troopers pursuing on foot, video posted on social media (below) by local public safety watcher Dave Statter shows.
UPDATE: @VSPPIO says the person being chased this morning dropped onto a catwalk under the 14th Street Bridge (HOV) and escaped. More details on the chase added below 🔽🔽.
NEW: Video appears to show a person going over the railing of the 14th Street Bridge (HOV) to escape… pic.twitter.com/GIMLOPyesy
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) October 1, 2025
Despite a search by troopers, Arlington County police, U.S. Park Police, and D.C. police, the suspect was not located, according to state police.
More, below, from a VSP press release.
At approximately 4:48 a.m. this morning, a Virginia State Police trooper attempted to stop a vehicle on Interstate 95 southbound at the 162-mile marker. The reason for the stop was reckless driving. The vehicle refused to stop, and a pursuit was initiated.
The suspect vehicle exited the Interstate at Route 294, driving through multiple roads in Prince William County before getting onto Route 123 and heading back towards Route 1 and Interstate 95. When the suspect vehicle reached Route 1, it headed northbound, where it sideswiped another vehicle and then re-entered Interstate 95, this time heading northbound.
The pursuit then continued on Interstate 95 northbound and onto Interstate 395 northbound, where a trooper was successfully able to deploy spike strips prior to the vehicle reaching the Washington, D.C., city limits. Troopers were able to stop the vehicle, but the suspect driver fled from the car, leaping off the bridge and onto a catwalk, fleeing the scene.
A search for the suspect was unsuccessful. Arlington County Police, U.S. Park Police, and the Metropolitan (Washington, D.C.) Police Department assisted in the search.
The incident remains under investigation.
