The Virginia Bunny Man Bridge: The Sinister Story and Urban Legend

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Starting in Virginia, the legend of the Bunny Man has stretched into Maryland and Washington, D.C. His is a story that has stretched on for almost thirty years. By the early 1970s, the legend had stretched from Virginia to Maryland. And by 1980, the legend twisted until it was darker and more terrifying than ever. Reported sightings of the Bunny Man say he’s a tall figure dressed in a bunny suit. That doesn’t sound so bad. Well, maybe not on its own, but combined with the fact that he carries an ax with him might make him a little more sinister. He was first spotted around Fairfax Station, Virginia, at a railroad overpass now known as the “Bunny Man Bridge.”

The Legend of the Bunny Man

For nearly thirty years, the legend of the Bunny Man has been kept alive by teenagers. Over time, this story has become a ghost story told at parties, camping trips, and other events. One such telling was in 1976. He was allegedly responsible for the death of two children in the Clifton area. There were rumors of disappearances and mutilated animals. But even if these were just tales of fantasy, most people were terrified of going into the woods at night. And no one ventured near the Bunny Man Bridge after dark.

Most of the stories we hear as children are forgotten as we age. But, for many, the Bunny Man isn’t so easily forgotten. And a lot of these stories start the same way. They seem to start with an escaped inmate or mental patient. The Bunny Man is no different. He was said to have been an escaped convict dressed in a bunny suit. There are countless tales of this man killing disobedient children. He would sometimes leave the bodies hanging from the Bunny Man Bridge. Most people don’t credit the stories once they become adults, though, thinking of the Bunny Man as a tool to scare children into behaving.

Recently, though, the Bunny Man has made a comeback. The internet has brought new interest in the story, carrying it to new levels. In one version, written on the website Castle of Spirits, a group of patients escaped from a mental asylum in 1904 while being transferred to another facility. This version even gives the Bunny Man a name; Douglas J. Grifon. The story goes on to say that he murdered another one of the escapees and retreated into the wilds of Virginia. This telling of the Bunny Man’s story even gives locations and dates for the victims. 

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