News of the Weird: Week of October 23, 2025

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That's Not Holy Water

On Oct. 10, during the 9 a.m. Mass at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, an unidentified man climbed the Altar of Confession, dropped his pants to his ankles and urinated on the site, the Mirror reported. Hundreds of tourists looked on as plainclothes officers approached him; the Holy Pee-er was quickly removed from the premises after flashing a full moon at the gathered masses. Pope Leo was reportedly "shocked"; it was unclear whether he or another officiant was leading the service.

The Foreign Press

France's national postal service, aptly named La Poste, released a croissant-scented stamp on Oct. 8, France24 reported. Nearly 600,000 of the fragrant marks are intended to honor the "emblem of French gastronomy," the postal service gushed. "I had a stock of 1,000 stamps available," said Valence post office director Anthony Richet. "And on the first day, more than 400 stamps were already gone." The stickers can also be used for international mail.

Didn't See That Coming

Zimbabwean opposition lawmaker and poet Desire Moyo, 45, lost his life in a bizarre accident in the early morning hours of Oct. 10, the BBC reported. As Moyo and four others drove along the Bulawayo-Gweru highway, they crashed into an elephant. The other occupants of the car were injured; one of them said the elephant was struck on its backside, after which it turned around and started fighting the car. It is believed the elephant's reaction did the most damage and led to Moyo's demise.

Questionable Judgment

Congregants at Legacy Faith Church in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 28 were confronted by their pastor, Phillip Thornton, wearing and wielding an assault-style rifle to illustrate his points during his sermon. WHP-TV reported that Thornton used the firearm to symbolize "clearing the room," or using spiritual violence against unbelief. At times, Thornton pointed the gun at the congregation, with a laser bouncing off church members. The church released a statement after concerns were brought to light, saying the gun was "disabled (firing pin removed), cleared and publicly shown to be ammo free." But Thornton also said, "I could get you, any one of you." The statement closed with gratitude for bringing "great attention" to the church. After all, there's no such thing as bad publicity.

Ewwwww

First of all, apparently in the United Kingdom, ladybugs are called ladybirds. Regardless, one woman is fighting an epic battle against the cute spotted beetles in Hertfordshire, the Daily Star reported on Oct. 10. Lois Mallett-Walker's home has been invaded by "around 300" ladybugs, where they're covering her curtains, windows and walls. And, she said, "One peed on me and it stank." The 35-year-old tried to shoo the bugs outdoors but ended up vacuuming up some of them. "I love ladybugs, but it was far too many in my house for me."

Fake News

Megan Ashlee Davis is a college student in Texas, Chron.com reported on Oct. 10. She is not a server at an Olive Garden in St. Louis, and she didn't get arrested for assault after throwing a basket of breadsticks at a customer. But Davis' life has been turned upside down since a Facebook account called Pure videos posted a (real) mug shot of Davis and claimed she had retaliated for a bad tip by tossing the treats at a diner. "It's probably like my worst nightmare coming to reality," Davis said. She admitted that the mug shot came from a night in August, soon after her mother died, when she was arrested for public intoxication. But this recent post has garnered harassing and creepy comments. "People are disgusting out there -- and scary," she said. "I feel small. Like, how do I even fix this?"

But Why?

Wannabe magistrate Wilber Mateo, 45, of Kansas City, Missouri, was charged with burglary and stealing from a Jackson County, Missouri, courtroom, KSHB-TV reported. Surveillance cameras spotted Mateo inside the courthouse in Independence on Oct. 2 around 3:30 p.m. After speaking with workers there, he slipped into parts of the courthouse that are not covered by the cameras. Around 7:30 p.m., he was recorded entering a courtroom, where he apparently spent the night. The next morning, a witness saw Mateo and alerted officers; they found him wearing a judge's robes and carrying three bags. Inside the bags were a small brass dog statue, pens and a sticky note with login credentials on it -- along with three laptops, data storage, electronic devices and other office supplies. Mateo said he planned to sell the items to the highest bidder.

Unconventional Weapon

Former strip club employee Jordan Cotto, 26, arrived at Atlantis Gentlemen's Club in Tampa, Florida, on Oct. 10, hoping to "speak with management," The Smoking Gun reported. Instead, he got involved in a verbal argument and grabbed a cheeseburger from his car, which he hurled at a male victim. The victim was unharmed, but police spoke with Cotto, who said he "did throw a cheeseburger from his vehicle" and "would do it again." Cotto was arrested for battery and eventually released on his own recognizance.

Special Delivery

Blake Michael Kuhlman, 26, a contract driver for Amazon, was arrested for first-degree assault after an incident in an Everett, Washington, apartment complex mailroom on Oct. 3. KRCG-TV reported that Kuhlman and a USPS carrier were in the room when an altercation took place, resulting in the mail carrier being shot in the head. Kuhlman admitted shooting the man, who will survive but lost an eye, because he said the man "was trying to charge at him while he was cornered." Kuhlman was allegedly armed with two guns, a large knife and a bulletproof vest; he told police that he had been attacked on numerous occasions and that he is being "cyberstalked" by the mafia. Kuhlman said he believed the postal worker might have been a "mafia assassin." His bond was set at $1 million.

Look What I Found!

              -- When Erin Scott O'Brien sold her home in New Orleans in 2018, she left behind a marble tablet given to her by her grandparents, the Associated Press reported on Oct. 11. The "cool-ass piece of art" in her garden was covered by weeds until the current owner, Daniella Santoro, was cleaning up and found it. Santoro alerted her colleague at Tulane University, anthropologist Susann Lusnia, who identified the slab as a 1,900-year-old grave marker of a Roman sailor, Sextus Congenius Verus. He had died at age 42 after more than two decades of service in the imperial navy. More research revealed that the marker had been missing from the National Archeological Museum in Civitavecchia, Italy, since World War II. Now, the FBI is working with Italian authorities to send the tablet home.

              -- Ann Vincent Walter of Hale County, Texas, was getting ready for work on Oct. 2 when her son, Hayden, called out to her, United Press International reported. He had spotted what appeared to be a weather balloon over their farm north of Lubbock, but when it landed, they discovered it was a mysterious piece of equipment attached to a parachute. Walter alerted the Hale County Sheriff's Office, who had already heard from NASA about a missing object. NASA said it was part of the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility, which was conducting experiments to help aid the accuracy of telescopes, but after launching from Fort Sumner, New Mexico, it had been blown off course. The CSBF collected the equipment, and Walter and her family got a day of adventure.

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