Five Year-Old In Spider-Man Pajamas Scooters Down the Highway at 2 AM

And now, your strange mention of super-heroes in an actual news story of the day, courtesy of the Associated Press:

MURPHYSBORO, Ill. - Clad in Spiderman pajamas, a 5-year-old southern Illinois boy on a scooter had someplace to be. And he apparently wasn't going to let busy highways stand in his way. Authorities said Jackson County sheriff's deputies picked up the boy and his Razor-type scooter about 2 a.m. Wednesday along Old Illinois 13 in Murphysboro after fielding two 911 calls about the child's trek.

Nice.According to the story, the kid left his house in the middle of the night to make a seven-mile trip to a nearby town to visit a friend, and I've got to admit, that story sounds a little fishy to me. I mean, leaving the house in the middle of the night in Spider-Man pajamas with a strange mode of transportation? Sounds to me like someone was heading out to fight the Vulture, and there just aren't enough skyscrapers in Southern Illinois to make web-shooters feasable. And as you know, with great scooter comes great responsibility.

Either way, I'm more than happy to report that he was returned home safely after a concerned passer-by called the police, because really, scootering down the highway in the middle of the night would be phenomenally dangerous even for someone that actually had the proportionate strength and speed of a spider. It's nice to know that there was someone out there looking out for him, even if his parents are seriously regretting their purchase of the "Street Scooter Spider-Man" action figure.

[Via Dave Lartigue]