News of the Weird: Week of October 30, 2025

Expand

News of the Weird newspapers illustration

The Entrepreneurial Spirit

On Oct. 18 in Bangkok, Thailand, Pittaya Moolin, 51, was arrested as he conducted a delicate procedure in the backseat of his vintage Toyota Corolla, the Daily Mail reported. Moolin, also known as Chang Yai Modify, allegedly offered genital enhancement treatments to men in the region in spite of the fact that he is not licensed to perform such services. He promoted his business on TikTok, offering penis enlargement, circumcision and pearl implantations, saying he learned how to do the surgeries by watching social media videos. "I became interested in this kind of work, so I studied and developed it as a side hustle to supplement my income," he said. Authorities found no sterilizing equipment in the makeshift operating theater, but they did find local anesthetics, surgical blades, needles and other equipment. He was charged with practicing medicine without registration and authorization, which could land him in prison for three years.

Animal Antics

Ray Ray the cat clearly did not want to be left behind when his family left their home in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, for Keene, New Hampshire, on Sept. 26, The Washington Post reported. After driving about 100 miles, Tony Denardo, Ray Ray's owner, stopped the family van for a bathroom break and discovered the 8-year-old cat clinging to the vehicle's roof. "How did this cat stay on there?" wondered Tony's wife, Margaret. "And he was completely unfazed." The family believe Ray Ray lodged himself in between luggage strapped to the van's top as they sped along the interstates. The Denardos leaned in, stopping at a pet store for a leash, harness, backpack and food for Ray Ray, and he joined the adventure. Tony carried him across the finish line at a marathon in Keene, and Ray Ray "seemed to really like Times Square at night," Margaret said of their stop in New York City. She plans to write a children's book about her pet's adventure.

Suspicions Confirmed

You may have heard that gold prices are at an all-time high, so it's no wonder people are willing to go to extreme lengths to get their hands on it. Or, in this case, their private parts. Three women from Hong Kong were arrested in Japan on Oct. 20 for trying to smuggle about 8 kilograms of gold powder in their underwear, The Mainichi reported. The women were recruited by Masamori Nishimura, 34, they said, to conceal pouches of gold powder on a flight bound for Tokyo last summer. The precious metal was valued at about $650,000. The smugglers' payment? Cash and travel expenses.

The Passing Parade

Kira Cousins, 22, of Airdrie, Scotland, allegedly misled family and friends for months about her pregnancy and the Oct. 10 birth of her daughter, Bonnie-Leigh Joyce, the Daily Star reported on Oct. 20. She wore a prosthetic baby bump and introduced a plastic Reborn doll as her newborn -- even to the baby's supposed dad. Cousins also claimed the baby girl had health problems including a heart defect, which was why she wouldn't allow anyone to hold her. When her mom discovered the doll, Cousins messaged the would-be dad that Bonnie-Leigh had passed away, but the deception was soon revealed. "Everybody believed her," said friend Neave McRobert. "We were all so happy. I feel totally used and drained." Another friend said she had "noticed straight away that her bump wasn't real. You could see the straps on her back holding it on." Cousins declined to comment.

Inexplicable

Residents of the Rockridge area of Oakland, California, are on high alert, KTVU-TV reported, after someone keeps throwing rocks through home windows. The attacks have been going on for almost a year. Luis Aguirre said his home was targeted three weeks ago, after which he installed security cameras. On Oct. 6, video caught the man throwing a rock through Aguirre's car window. "We got footage of the individual who did it," he said. "Just aimlessly walking in the middle of the street." Another homeowner said her duplex was hit six times in the last year. Neighbors have spent thousands of dollars repairing the damage. Oakland Police are investigating but can't confirm that the incidents are related.

What's in a Name?

When police responded to a call from a home in Crawford County, Kansas, on Oct. 18, they found a red pickup truck that had been stolen earlier in the week, KAKE-TV reported. Officers were told that the truck had pulled into the property and the driver had asked the resident for gasoline, and to "not call the cops." So they called the cops. The driver, Michael Jackson -- "and not the one who sang Billie Jean," they said -- was arrested for possessing stolen property.

Compelling Explanation

The trial began on Oct. 17 in Houston for Kristina Chambers, 34, who is accused of manslaughter, the Houston Chronicle reported. In 2023, Joseph McMullin, 33, was leaving a doughnut store with a date when he was struck and killed by Chambers' Porsche 911 Carrera. Police said Chambers was four times over the legal alcohol limit and had baggies of cocaine in her car and purse, and they estimated she was driving about 70 mph when she hit McMullin. He was thrown about 30 feet and died at the scene. Chambers' attorney, Mark Thiessen, however, posited that it was Chambers' Christian Louboutin shoes that caused the accident, claiming the heel got stuck on the car's gas pedal. Chambers could serve up to 20 years in prison if she is convicted.

Nature Gone Wild

Residents of Christmas Island, about 900 miles from Australia, are carrying rakes in their cars and avoiding driving at certain times as the annual red crab migration begins, ABC reported on Oct. 21. Each year, 100 million crabs leave their forest burrows and make their way to the ocean, where they lay eggs. "We have to put rakes in our cars and leaf blowers to ensure the crabs have a safe passage," said Christmas Island National Park acting manager Alexia Jankowski. "A lot of people, if they can, will work from home," said resident Megs Powell. "It's one of the most amazing wildlife experiences you can see on the planet," said Oliver Lines, director of community services.

News You Can Use

Denise Bacon, 65, of East Sussex, England, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2014, The Washington Post reported. The condition affected her ability to walk, swim, dance and play the clarinet. Doctors at London's King's College Hospital recently revealed that Bacon underwent deep brain stimulation in July -- and played her clarinet during the procedure. As she played, doctors stimulated her brain, one electrode at a time. Neurosurgeon Keyoumars Ashkan said the effects could be seen immediately. As the right side of her brain was stimulated, he said, her left fingers were "flying," while her right-hand fingers were "stiff and slow and couldn't move." Bacon is "delighted" with the outcome and said she's "keen to get back in the swimming pool, and on the dance floor to see if my abilities have improved there."

Saw That Coming

An accidental shooting left an 89-year-old woman with an injury to one of her legs on Oct. 20 in Flanders, New Jersey, the Daily Record reported. It happened at Frank's Pizza, where 70-year-old William H. Schmieding was having dinner with two friends. Schmieding unholstered his handgun and moved to clear the ammunition from it, but a bullet was fired, ricocheted off a chair and struck the woman. Schmieding, of White House Station, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault, violating safe carry firearm requirements, and prohibited carrying of a firearm.

Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.  

COPYRIGHT 2023 ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

1130 Walnut, Kansas City MO 64106; 800-255-6734