Aug. 16 was just another happy Saturday at the Northeast Elementary School playground in Vernon, Connecticut -- until it wasn't. A 40-year-old man who became trapped in a tube slide had to be rescued by the Town of Vernon Fire Department, WKRC-TV reported. When first responders arrived, the unnamed man was stuck in the middle of the slide. He was provided oxygen, and ventilation was set up to cool the space. After about 30 minutes, which included taking the slide apart, the man was rescued and refused medical care or transport to a hospital. [WKRC, 8/19/2025]

Least Competent Criminal

-- Those pesky home surveillance videos. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department took a missing person report on Aug. 12 in regard to Sheylla Cabrera, 33, KTLA-TV reported. But the next day, as detectives viewed video from a neighbor's Ring doorbell, they spied Cabrera's husband, 36-year-old Jossimar Cabrera, struggling to pull a heavy sack or sheet away from the home. Three days later, a sack containing Sheylla's body was found in the Angeles National Forest. Jossimar allegedly fled to Peru, where local authorities picked him up, then released him pending charges. The couple's three children were also found safe in Peru. [KTLA, 8/19/2025]

-- Only in Iowa could you be arrested for "simulated public intoxication." KCRG-TV reported that on Aug. 18, Fayette County Sheriff's deputies were called about individuals lying in a ditch around 5:30 a.m. Kalab Barker, 31, was the only one still around when officers arrived; he was arrested and charged with the dubious crime of pretending to be drunk. [KCRG, 8/19/2025]

-- In Hillsborough County (Florida), a drone crashed into a home around 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 19, Fox5-TV reported. The homeowners retrieved the drone from the backyard before the drone's owner, Jason Brooks, 49, knocked on the front door, at which point they called police. Sheriff Chad Chronister said the homeowner found a cloth bag attached to the drone, with four other bags inside. "Three bags with fentanyl powder and one bag of methamphetamine," Chronister said. "Each bag has a person's name written on the bag." When deputies arrived, they found Brooks outside. He told them he was flying his drone and "I believe it crashed in this area, and I'm going in the backyard trying to find my drone." Brooks is a 15-time convicted felon; he was charged with possession with intent to sell or deliver, among other charges, and held without bond. [Fox5, 8/20/2925]

But Why?

-- As landscaper Brian Hanson mowed a lawn in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Aug. 14, he was interrupted by a man in full jester costume approaching him with a 12-inch dagger, The Smoking Gun reported. Hanson positioned his mower between him and the threatening cosplayer, Anthony Marzola, 51, who lives nearby. Marzola was allegedly unhappy about the sound of the mower and yelled at Hanson that he "cannot be mowing." Police believe Marzola's get-up may be related to his business, the Psychedelic Jester smoke shop; why he was in full costume at home was not explained. He was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. [The Smoking Gun, 8/15/2025]

-- David Hampson, 54 -- known to locals as "Silent Man" -- has been arrested again in Swansea, Wales, for standing in the middle of busy roads in the city, the Telegraph reported on Aug. 12. By "again," we mean for the 12th time. Hampson, who has no fixed address, has been repeating his strange behavior since 2014, but he won't explain himself to law enforcement or health officials and won't even confirm his name in court. But he's not mute, his brother said: "He never stops talking. He's a spoilt brat. He just does it to have a comfy life inside prison." [Telegraph, 8/12/2025]

Well-Done

Firefighters with the Doolittle (Missouri) Rural Fire Protection District responded to a truck fire on Aug. 18, Fox5-TV reported. Inside the trailer was 40,000 pounds of rib-eye steaks -- which, while a total loss, had to smell AMAZING! Probationary firefighter Jenna Ulrich, the only vegan in the department, fought her first fire that morning alongside her dad, Glenn Ulrich. [Fox5, 8/20/2025]

Suspicions Confirmed

-- The Wynn Encore resort in Las Vegas and nightclub DJ Gryffin got punked when Justin Bieber impersonator Dylan Desclos, 29, showed up at the venue, Huff Post reported on Aug. 19. The pseudo-Bieber danced and partied, allegedly racking up a $10,000 bar bill, before his "team" alerted Gryffin that he wanted to perform "Sorry," one of his big hits. "Dark venue and loud music didn't help here," Gryffin posted after discovering he'd been had. A spokesperson for the Wynn Encore said Desclos had been granted access to the stage after an "elaborate and multistep ruse by him and his advance team." The resort banned him for life after learning he wasn't really Bieber. [Huff Post, 8/19/2025]

-- When Fujiyoshi Shindo, 93, was found dead in his home in Daisen, Japan, on Aug. 18, police initially suspected he had been mauled by a bear, The Japan Times reported. Bear sightings have become more common in northern Japan; more than 200 people were attacked in the 12 months leading up to March 2024. But as investigators looked into the incident further, they found that the man's wounds were more consistent with a knife attack. On Aug. 19, his son, Fujiyuki Shindo, 51, was arrested for allegedly murdering his elderly father. The younger man lived with his parents, and detectives seized several knives from the home in an effort to identify the murder weapon. [Japan Times, 8/20/2025]

The Tech Revolution

Visitors to Judong No. 3 Park in Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea, may rub their eyes when they see a life-size, uniformed policeman, Oddity Central reported on Aug. 15. That's because the officer is a 3D hologram that patrols between 7 and 10 p.m., assuring people that "in emergencies, the police will respond immediately" and "there are surveillance cameras everywhere." The specterlike officers are intended to increase people's perception of safety, and since their installation in October, data show they've had a significant impact on crime in the park, decreasing incidents by 22%. [Oddity Central, 8/15/2025]

Smooth Reaction

Last week, News of the Weird reported on a group of teenagers sought by police in East Greenbush, New York, for pulling ding-dong-ditch pranks on residents. So it was only a matter of time until things escalated. According to KDFW-TV, in Frisco, Texas, 58-year-old Damon Wolfe "ran out into the street, fired shots at a vehicle as it was coming his direction and as it had already passed him," police said, after the three teenagers in the car had ding-dong-ditched Wolfe's house in late July. Police discovered the car had three bullet holes in it, and the kids admitted the prank. Police Chief David Shilson called the incident "completely senseless and avoidable had better decisions been made by all involved." [KDFW, 8/18/2025]

Inappropriate Behavior

Turkish authorities are searching for a "foreign tourist" who offended "the nation's moral values" when she performed a pole dance on a Turkish flagpole, AFP reported on Aug. 21. The case was opened after a 12-second video was posted to social media showing a woman wearing leggings and a T-shirt while dancing. "The governor's office is closely monitoring this heinous incident," the governorate said in a statement. The offenses carry jail terms of at least two years. [AFP, 8/21/2025]

The South China Morning Post reported on Aug. 5 that adults in China are turning to pacifiers to ease their stress, improve sleep and stop smoking. The adult binkies are larger than the infant models and come in different colors, and shops say they're selling more than 2,000 each month. "It's high quality, soft, and I feel comfortable sucking it," said one buyer. "It does not impede my breathing." But Chengdu dentist Tang Caomin isn't a fan: "By sucking the dummy for more than three hours a day, the position of your teeth might change after a year." [SCMP, 8/5/2025]

Nope

-- Talk about rodents of unusual size. A giant rat -- perhaps the biggest ever caught in the United Kingdom -- was recently captured in North Yorkshire, reported The Independent on Aug. 5. The rodent, removed by exterminators from a home in the Greater Eston area, measured 22 inches long and was described as “almost the size of a small cat.” (For reference, rats in the U.K. usually stay under 11 inches, on average.) Some local leaders say pest issues have dramatically worsened since the end of free services for residents in the area. Eston ward councilor David Taylor said the rodents were becoming “brazen,” adding, "The longer this is ignored, the worse it will get.” [The Independent, 8/5/2025]

-- In Fort Collins, Colorado, residents have reported seeing rabbits with black, tentaclelike protrusions on their heads, KUSA-TV reported. Colorado Parks and Wildlife said the horny growths are caused by a virus that is not dangerous to humans or pets, but warned people not to touch them just the same. The "Frankenstein rabbits" are not in pain, CPW said, unless the spines grow on sensitive areas like the eyes. There is no known cure. [KUSA, 8/13/2025]

Recent Alarming Headlines

-- Dan Burton, owner of Urban Trapping Wildlife Control in Salinas, California, alerted officials of Monterey County and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to a discovery he made while trapping wild pigs in early August. The Los Angeles Times reported that when Burton cut into one of the animals, he discovered that the flesh was ... off-color. "I'm not talking about a little blue," he said. "I'm talking about neon blue, blueberry blue." Fish and wildlife officials say the blue flesh is probably caused by exposure to a poison popularly used by farmers to control rats, mice, squirrels and other rodents. They are warning trappers and hunters not to consume the blue flesh, and some of the poison traps have been pulled from the fields because of pigs seeking them out. [LA Times, 8/5/2025]

-- The Missouri Department of Health and Human Services is warning visitors to the Lake of the Ozarks about a rare "brain-eating" infection called Naegleria fowleri, KSHB-TV reported on Aug. 13. A man who had been water skiing in the lake is now being treated in intensive care at a Missouri hospital, officials said. The infection enters the human body through the nose, then travels into the brain. [KSHB, 8/13/2025]

132 Days Until Christmas

Three Deutsche Post volunteers -- or elves, you might call them -- left St. Nikolaus, Germany, on Aug. 9 and started cycling toward Santa Claus Village in Finland, the Associated Press reported. The trio are carrying more than 30,000 letters and Christmas wish lists that have been delivered to the German village and are expected to arrive in roughly two weeks. The traditional journey dates back to 1967. [AP, 8/10/2025]

Unclear on the Concept

In reference to what seems like an obvious enough policy, Starbucks Korea has posted signs in all its shops across the country, warning customers that they may no longer bring desktop computers and printers to the locations to work. United Press International reported on Aug. 11 that Starbucks has also banned setting up large partitions and leaving valuables at a table for long periods of time. The targeted customers are known as "cagongjok," which combines the Korean words for "cafe," "study" and "tribe." Starbucks made the policy change after other customers complained about cafe squatters taking up too much space; laptops will still be welcomed. [UPI, 8/11/2025]

Crime Report

Everyone should be trying to move to East Greenbush, New York, where police have been busy chasing down the community's hardened criminals, WNYT-TV reported on Aug. 11. Officers have received multiple reports of juveniles playing "ding-dong-ditch" during overnight hours, they said. They called such aberrant behavior disruptive and a violation of state law. Police said if the kids are caught, their antics could lead to charges of harassment, trespassing and disorderly conduct. Zillow, here we come! [WNYT, 8/11/2025]

The Neighbors

Gary Boyadzhyan of Van Nuys, California, told KTLA-TV on Aug. 13 that he has a mysterious long-running grievance with the Los Angeles Police Department, and that's why he's been blasting home alarms and a train horn from his house for months. "He does this periodically several times during the day," said neighbor Bob Donovan. "It has a range of 3.5 miles. It's an actual train horn." Boyadzhyan says the horns are his way of getting LAPD's attention. "I do sincerely apologize to my neighbors," he said, "but I don't know what else to do." Neighbors are unclear about what kind of help the man needs to solve his problem, but they're at wits' end about the noise. But maybe a solution is on the way: Boyadzhyan was arrested on Aug. 13 on unknown charges. [KTLA, 8/13/2025]

Bright Idea

There's something in the water at Loch Ness in Scotland ... but it's not the famed monster. The Daily Record reported on Aug. 13 that Domino's Pizza has launched a delivery submarine that can reach speeds of 45mph and leap 5 meters out of the water. Pizza Delivery Innovation spokesperson Izzy Gardener said the company is "always looking for new and unexpected ways to deliver to our customers." Loch Ness seemed like a "perfect place to test the waters," Gardener said. [Daily Record, 8/13/2025]

Kids These Days

So, it's not enough to just play ding-dong-ditch in Laurens, South Carolina. WYFF-TV reported that on Aug. 9, two juveniles unlawfully entered railroad facilities and started an engine that was hooked to two other engines. Police said they drove the train engines around the yard before taking them onto a rail line that connects with Greenville. But when they tried to return to the rail yard, they collided with parked railroad cars and caused the derailment of the engine and damage to one of the parked cars. "This was a dangerous and reckless act," said Laurens Police Chief Heath Copeland. "Railroad property is not a place to play." [WYFF, 8/12/2025]

DON'T TOUCH THAT!

"A ground mishap" at Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield, Massachusetts, was likely caused by an unnamed passenger accidentally triggering an ejection from an F-15D Eagle on Aug. 12, The War Zone reported. After the plane had landed, video showed a puff of smoke and the backseat passenger crawling along the runway next to the aircraft. The canopy landed on the plane's wing. The 104th Fighter Wing released a statement saying that one service member was taken to a hospital for evaluation and the other had no injuries. [The War Zone, 8/14/2025]

Fire investigators in British Columbia, Canada, discovered an unlikely culprit in a brush fire that knocked out power in the town of Ashcroft on July 30: a hungry osprey. Ashcroft Fire Rescue posted on social media that the peckish avian pulled a large fish from a river about two miles away, but as it labored to fly with its super-sized meal in the July heat, it became tired and eventually dropped the fish ... directly onto a power line, which sparked the blaze in the dry grass below. NBC Bay Area reported that it took about 4,800 gallons of water to stop the fire -- quite a lot of trouble over a bird whose eyes were bigger than its stomach. "Another suspicion could be that it's tired of raw fish and wanted to give cooked a try," the post from Ashcroft Fire Rescue said. [NBC Bay Area, 8/5/2025]

New World Order

A zoo in northern Denmark has made an unsettling request of pet owners in Aalborg, the Associated Press reported. In a July 31 Facebook post, the zoo suggested, "If you have an animal that has to leave here for various reasons, feel free to donate it to us." Not for a domestic pet display, mind you. The zoo is planning to "gently euthanize" the donated animals and feed them to its predators. Zoo officials said they're trying to mimic the natural food chain, calling out specifically guinea pigs, rabbits and chickens as preferred donations. "That way, nothing goes to waste -- and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition and well-being of our predators," the post read. [AP, 8/4/2025]

Sports Whiplash

On July 31, as the Tampa Bay Rays battled the New York Yankees in the Bronx, one player ended up "winning today regardless," the Associated Press reported. Jose Caballero, 28, started the game with the Rays and played through the sixth inning. But during the seventh-inning stretch, he was traded to the Yankees. The deal was announced after the rain-delayed game, which the Yankees won. Caballero reportedly hugged his Tampa teammates in the dugout, then turned up in the Yankees clubhouse to conduct his post-game interview. [AP, 7/31/2025]

Bright Idea

In the Hautes-Vosges region of France, farmers have become discouraged with the lack of help from the law regarding squatters who appear in camping vans and park illegally on private property. So, The Economic Times reported on Aug. 4, the farmers unleashed the power of the poo on the interlopers. Six tractors circled around the campers and released slurry -- a mixture of manure and water -- that's used to fertilize the soil. "We've had enough," one farmer said. "If no one listens, we make ourselves heard another way." [Economic Times, 8/4/2025]

Easy There, Leadfoot

A driver on Germany's famed Autobahn was issued a $1,000 fine and had his license suspended for three months, CNN reported, after he exceeded the speed limit by 124 mph on July 28. Speed limit? On the Autobahn? Yes, while the motorway is known worldwide as a de facto raceway where drivers can go as fast as they please, it has stretches where speed limits are posted and enforced. German police said the motorist was clocked at over 199 mph on the A2 highway near Burg, a portion of the Autobahn where the limit is 74.5 mph. [CNN, 8/8/2025]

The Bear Jar

For more than a week, residents of northwest Wisconsin had been riveted by sightings of a hapless yet elusive bear with a jar stuck on her head. “The bear had been identified plenty of times ... but by the time anyone got there that could help, she was gone,” said Erik Donley of Duluth. Donley and his nieces were arriving at their family cabin when the bear came out of the woods near them. Understandably scared, the youngest niece locked the cabin doors -- briefly leaving her poor uncle outside. The family called wildlife authorities, then Donley went back outside to follow the bear from a safe distance and prevent her from disappearing again. The USDA soon arrived, tranquilized the bear and finally -- finally -- removed that stubborn jar. Authorities said the creature was underweight for this time of year, but has been safely relocated and is expected to recover. [Northern News Now, 8/4/2025]

Climb Every Mountain

To be awarded a scholarship for college, most prospective students must write a killer essay, but South Korean students with the right lofty aspirations can take a hike. Literally. According to UPI, Seoul National University offers a scholarship of up to $540 to students who climb any six mountains in the Blackyak Apline Club's 100 Famous Mountains and 100+ Famous Mountains lists, excluding those traversed by cable car or gondola. Students must use the Blackyak app to prove they hiked the mountains. The Misan Mountain Hiking Scholarship, which is funded by alumnus Kwon Jun-ha, 81, is highly competitive -- only 70 spots are available, but 1,400 students applied for it during the open period from July 8-18. "The scholarship reflects the donor's desire to foster healthy individuals with a spirit of challenge and community spirit," the school said. [UPI, 8/4/2025]

No Fans of Drama

Farmers near Yellowstone National Park, struggling with wolves attacking their livestock but prohibited from harming the protected animals, have turned to technology -- and Hollywood -- for help in keeping the predators away. Yahoo News reported on Aug. 4 that quadcopter drones equipped with speakers blaring AC/DC songs and audio from a Scarlett Johansson movie had been dispatched in the ongoing fight. Per the USDA, "people arguing is a distressing sound for wolves, and so the fight scene between Johansson and Adam Driver in the 2019 movie 'Marriage Story' is a perfect deterrent." The music and film clips seem to be working: Since their deployment, the number of cows killed by wolves in southern Oregon has fallen from 11 over a 20-day period to two over the next 85 days. [Yahoo, 8/4/2025]

Close Call

On June 25, members of the Seattle Kraken hockey team, on a fly-fishing trip at Brooks Falls at Katmai National Park, Alaska, drew the unwanted attention of a bear on the prowl for food. Multiple outlets report that center John Hayden and the team's mascot, Buoy -- who was in full costume -- were in the water when their guide spotted the bear and moved the group. The bear took a sudden interest in Buoy and charged toward him briefly before stopping and turning around. "I want to blame it on Buoy," Hayden joked. "They were pretty interested in his look." No one was harmed in the encounter, and other team members were unfazed. Meanwhile, the whole situation has drawn the ire of PETA, who sent a strongly worded letter filled with hockey puns, detailing the harm that fishing for sport does to fish, even when they are thrown back, and urging the team to "bench their fishing rods for good." [Fox News, 8/7/2025]

Never Heard of Him

St. Jude the Apostle Roman Catholic Church in Erie, Pennsylvania, holds a Corvette raffle every year to raise money for the parish, and in 2024, one "Martin Anderson" came away with the top prize. But on Aug. 6, the Erie Times-News reported that an investigation by the Erie County District Attorney's Office discovered that no such person exists. Father Ross Miceli is under investigation for making up the name of the winner as well as winners of other prizes. The church declined to comment but acknowledged there was an active criminal investigation underway. The reverend has been placed on administrative leave. [Erie Times-News, 8/6/2025]