A homeless man in the US has been charged with destruction of property after police discovered a 15ft-deep cave in a park. 25-year-old Yosue Joel Rios was arrested in Fairfax, Virginia, after the cave he dug himself was discovered in Van Dyck Park following an anonymous tip-off to police. The man was also wanted for failing to appear on a traffic charge.
The cave features steps down to the two “rooms”, a living room and bedroom which was covered with plywood and leaves, according to Fairfax police. Books, papers and other items were littered on the floor of the cave. A spade, trowel and pick axe were also found inside the cave by police.
Sergeant Natalie Hinesley told NBC Philadelphia: “I haven’t seen anything like it. He was studying several topics, from what it looked like. He had an alphabet written out with the sounds.” The Department of Public Works filled in the cave with dirt on Monday. It was unclear how long the man had been living there.