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The chaos began around 2:40 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 6 along the eastbound lanes of the interstate near Eisenhower Avenue when troopers were investigating a pair o crashes.
A third crash happened behind them, and one of the drivers involved—later identified as the 38-year-old Caneza—sped off from the scene after briefly stopping, state police said.
Caneza made it less than a mile before getting into another crash, troopers said. He then ditched his car and fled on foot, crossing both eastbound and westbound lanes of I-495 before disappearing into a wooded area.
Caneza allegedly crawled through a drainage pipe underneath the interstate, evading officers for nearly three hours.
Troopers spotted him in a narrower section of pipe but were unable to follow as it tightened to an 18-inch diameter, and despite commands in both English and Spanish, Caneza refused to stop, police said.
Fairfax County Police deployed a drone into the pipe but encountered signal issues.
Eventually, officers discovered an exit about three blocks from where Caneza had entered and a local resident reported seeing someone emerge from a manhole roughly 30 minutes earlier.
He remains at large as of Wednesday, Jan. 8.
State Police are now seeking Caneza on warrants for:
- Felony hit-and-run;
- Felony eluding;
- Misdemeanor eluding;
- Driving without an operator’s license;
- Providing false identification to law enforcement;
- No state vehicle inspection;
- Improper vehicle registration;
- Expired state vehicle registration;
- Driving with an open container.
The investigation remains active.
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