Underground Cave Home Found In Park: Man Held

A homeless man has been charged with destruction of property after police discovered a 15ft-deep cave in a park - complete with living room and bedroom.

Yosue Joel Rios was arrested in Fairfax, Virginia, after the man-made hole was found in Van Dyck Park following a tip-off to police.

The 25-year-old was detained, and it was also discovered he was wanted for failing to appear on a traffic charge in Arlington County.

The cave, which features steps down to the two "rooms", was covered with plywood and leaves, according to Fairfax police.

Video footage showed books, papers and other items on the floor at the bottom of the steps.

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."

Officers also found a spade, trowel and pick axe inside the cave.

The Department of Public Works filled in the cave with dirt on Monday. It was unclear how long Rios had been living there.