A New Jersey man was arrested at a local Home Depot Tuesday after allegedly causing a disturbance by showing up to the store dressed in a Batman-like costume.
The Lehigh Valley Express-Times reports that 23-year-old Matthew Argintar came to the store dressed in a "mask, cape and body armor," including "tactical pants, elbow and arm pads and a bulletproof vest underneath his clothing," then approached shoppers in the store's parking lot, reportedly asking them if they needed help.
Witnesses told the newspaper that many customers retreated to their cars upon seeing Argintar, recalling the recent tragedy at the premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Aurora, Colo., in which suspected gunman James Holmes, also dressed in body armor, allegedly opened fire on crowds of moviegoers.
Argintar, who police said was unarmed but carrying handcuffs, was arrested after Mansfield Township police received several emergency calls regarding what witnesses feared was a Colorado "copycat." A separate Express-Times article reports that Argintar said he was only trying to "inspire hope."
According to the report, Argintar claimed affiliation with a group of about 100 individuals who call themselves "real-life superheros." The association, which claims that its main objective is to "inspire others to go out and do good," has a member-restricted section of its website with public links to crime fighting, equipment, police scanner feeds, and U.S. law sites.
This isn't the first time that a member of that group has gotten in trouble with the law.
In October 2011, Phoenix Jones, another "real-life superhero" was arrested for assault in Seattle after he pepper-sprayed a group of people.
ABC News reported that Jones perceived that revelers were fighting in the street. According to police, the people claimed to be "'dancing and having a good time' as they walked to their car," and were not involved in a conflict.
Jones, who was accompanied by a camera man and a freelance journalist as he patrolled the streets, later released raw video of the incident in which he and his crew are verbally and physically rebuked by two women.
The people below might not have been arrested, but they were fired for some weird reasons. See why:
