It appears that there was a significant amount of force used on the sign on Rose Hill Drive.
The residents of Rose Hill are not happy with the destruction of their community sign that was destroyed by a
car being pursued by the police.
A neighbor saw the incident from her house nearby and described what she saw on social media.
“I didn’t realize right away what was happening until we heard the helicopter and saw their lights sweeping the backyards. We saw that several police cars had lined up on the opposite side of the street and you could tell they were searching backyards on foot on that side. They were also telling people on that side of the road to stay in their houses," Lindsay Holzrichter wrote on the Rose Hill Facebook page.
"I went to watch out my bedroom window and we watched the helo hovering over a backyard and saw the police come out from behind the houses with someone in custody," her post read.
This all happened on March 8 when “the sign was severely damaged when a car fleeing from police crashed into the sign on March 8, 2024,” it said in a letter published in a recent Rose Hill newsletter article.
A letter to Steve T. Descano, Fairfax Commonwealth Attorney, dated Oct. 30, 2024 was written by Carl Sell, president, and Robert J. Riccio, treasurer of the Rose Hill Civic Association. “Frankly, we are angered by the lack of support from the police and your office regarding this situation,” it said.
Apparently the charges were dropped against the driver because they couldn’t determine who was driving the vehicle, the letter said. Sell and Riccio suggested fingerprinting the steering wheel or looking on the rental agreement. It was not clear what the county response was and the attempts by the Rose Hill residents were not successful.
Laura Birnbaum, the Deputy Chief of Staff/PIO at the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney office is familiar with the case but said that it falls under "nolle prossed," with the attorney's office because there was legally not enough evidence to move forward, she said. There were three suspects in the car but the police could not be sure which was the driver. Birnbaum sympathizes with the community group but stressed that "if there is not enough evidence to move forward with a case legally, we cannot proceed," she said. Since it was a rental car, fingerprints are not a reliable method, she said.
In the end, the stone wall sign that has been in front of the community on Franconia Road remains unreadable, and looks like a pile of stone and concrete with shards of metal throughout. Not a welcoming site. “Stonework is expensive!” they said.
The signs here at Rose Hill are known as monument signs, defined as a ground-level, often free-standing, sign with information designed for drivers and onlookers to spot and read quickly, said a definition by America’s Instant Signs company.
The Rose Hill Civic Association’s social media page has an older picture of the Rose Hill community sign as their moniker from before this crash.
Springtime Shock
The sign was a subject on the Rose Hill Civic Association blog, dated April 19, 2024. That was before the Commonwealth's Attorney got involved. The following was posted on their social media site:
“First, the investigation concerning the repair of the Rose Hill entrance sign is ongoing. Since the sign is located in VDOT right of way, we need approval to move forward. At the same time, we hope to hold the person liable for the damage to pay for the repair.
“The crash occurred after a police chase that started on the Beltway and reached a speed of 90 miles per hour. No wonder the driver couldn’t make the turn onto Rose Hill Drive from Franconia Road! The driver’s court appearance is scheduled for June 18 and RHCA will be there. We invite you to join us. “Meanwhile, we are soliciting ideas on what kind of sign you would like to see to replace the one that was damaged.”
On Sept. 24, Franconia Police Commander Marisa Kuhar spoke with residents at a meeting of the Rose Hill Civic Association on Tuesday Sept. 24. Topics of discussion included the sign, traffic safety enforcement and retail theft concerns.
The sign rubble is still located next to the Rose Hill Shopping Center which is still in the crosshairs of developers. In recent years, it has been the subject of proposed redevelopment and this became a topic of debate for many.