Police investigate stolen car on I-66; traffic backed up for miles

By Alejandro Alvarez
Fonda Mwangi
April 1, 2021 | 7:10 AM

A police investigation in Fairfax County caused a four-mile traffic backup along eastbound Interstate 66 in Virginia, on Thursday morning.

Fairfax County police stopped what they believe to be a stolen vehicle on I-66 after Chain Bridge Road in Oakton, a police department spokesman told WTOP.

A man — one of two people inside the vehicle — then ran off. He is said to have fled on foot across I-66 toward Oakton High School on Sutton Road. Residents and commuters are asked to avoid that area while law enforcement continue their search.

The WTOP Traffic Center reports all eastbound lanes of I-66 before Nutley Street (Exit 62) reopened around 7 a.m. after having been closed since just after 5 a.m. for a police investigation.

Below is a map of the area:

[google_map latitude=”38.874673″ longitude=”-77.281287″ zoom=”14″ height=”300px” location_label=”I66″ dynamic_map=”false”]

Breaking the silence around suicide: A Virginia mother shares thoughts on prevention

By Kate Ryan
September 1, 2026 | 4:22 AM

September is Suicide Prevention Month, and Betsy Stephenson, an Alexandria, Virginia, resident and a mother who lost her son to suicide, wants people to talk about it. "By not talking about suicide, we are not going to make it go away. In fact, I think that we could inadvertently give it a little more power than it deserves," she told WTOP. One of the things that Stephenson wants families to know is that people who are struggling can appear to be doing well. "You can be very high-functioning as a depressed person or an anxious person," she said. "You can be connected socially. You can be doing well at school or work. You can be making plans, smiling, laughing, engaged, but still be struggling deeply, you know, cosmically, inside."

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