News of the Weird: Week of September 5, 2024

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That Rule Doesn't Apply to Me

Police in Brighton, New Jersey, charged Zyair J. Dennis, 24, on Aug. 23 with one count of defiant trespassing after an incident on Aug. 18, the Cherry Hill Courier Post reported. Dennis, of Millville, New Jersey, was recorded at the Cohanzick Zoo taunting a tiger after climbing a barrier into the animal's enclosure. Police said she tried to "entice" one of the Bengal tigers through a second, inside fence. In the video, the tiger appeared to try to bite the woman's hand. Dennis was also caught on camera at the zoo's bear exhibit, demonstrating the same kind of behavior, said Bridgerton Police Chief Michael Gaimari.

Weird in the Wild

A bald eagle that was "rescued" near Wilson's Creek National Battlefield in Missouri because it couldn't seem to fly wasn't injured at all, Fox News reported on Aug. 25. Instead, wildlife officials at the Missouri Department of Conservation determined that it was "too fat to fly." "The bird was ... engorged with raccoon," officials said. X-rays taken at a nearby zoo showed a raccoon paw inside the eagle's distended stomach. The bird was released near where it was found.

Florida

Tampa police responded to a call on Aug. 24 at the Rags to Riches Animal Rescue, WFTS-TV reported. Dominique Amerosa, one of the owners of the rescue, said she and her mother were doing a meet-and-greet with a potential owner for Bluey, a disabled pug, when they told the woman she wouldn't be a good fit because of her other dogs. First, the woman wouldn't give the dog back to the owners; then she retrieved a gun out of her car and pointed it at the back of Amerosa's head. "My lovely neighbor came out and saw her with my mom and then ran in her house to call 911," Amerosa said. "That is a very scary person," she said. Police said they are investigating and working with the state's attorney's office to "determine the most appropriate charges."

Unclear on the Concept

Rolando Ramos, the quarterbacks coach for the Cigarroa Toros football program in Laredo, Texas, was arrested on Aug. 19 after he called police to report that a prostitute had stolen money from him, the Laredo Morning Times reported. When Ramos tried to pay her, she allegedly grabbed $100 and ran away. Ramos, who is also a health and physical education teacher at Cigarroa High School, faced a $2,500 bond for soliciting prostitution and was released later that day. He was placed on administrative leave by the district.

SNAFU

The U.S. Navy has run out of pants, the New York Post reported on Aug. 21. The official "Navy Working Uniform," or NWU, camouflage trousers are out of stock because of "Defense Logistics Agency vendor issues," officials said. This particular uniform is allowed for wear on the job and out in public, but only new recruits will get new pants until at least October. In the meantime, sailors will be allowed to wear coveralls off-base (so chic) or the "2-piece Organizational Clothing," which features flame-resistant tops and bottoms.

Bright Idea

A 9-year-old boy left his home in Brooklyn, New York, for school on Aug. 22 but never showed up, the Associated Press reported. His parents called police, who released a description of the missing child. When the New York CBS News helicopter arrived at the scene, they spotted the truant on the rooftop of his family's building. "We came across a person sitting in a chair over here on the rooftop. We zoomed in with the camera," said reporter Dan Rice. "It appeared to be the child that fit the description of the missing child." They alerted police and as the news helicopter watched, Rice said, "He just packs up his computer and his book bag and goes off with the police officers," who took the boy to his parents.

Questionable Judgment

Back in January, a 33-year-old man underwent emergency surgery at Graz University Hospital in Austria after a forestry accident, Sky News reported. It wasn't until July, however, that the patient learned the unnamed surgeon allowed his 13-year-old daughter to drill a hole in the patient's head. "There was no contact, no explanation or apology, nothing," said the patient's attorney, Peter Freiberger. "That is simply undignified." The operation was successful, but the patient is still recovering. The main surgeon and another specialist who was present during the operation were let go by the hospital. Investigations by the public prosecutor's office are underway.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Riders on the Supergirl Sky Flight ride at Mexico City's Six Flags Mexico were stranded on Aug. 18 as heavy rain and winds caused the ride to shut down, United Press International reported. Those who were on the ride at the time dangled about 240 feet in the air for 10 minutes as they were buffeted by the weather. Six Flags Mexico said the storm caused several rides to cease operating for a few minutes, but no injuries were reported.

News That Sounds Like a Joke

The Hong Kong Education Bureau has produced a 70-page sex education manual for kids between 12 and 14 years old, The New York Times reported on Aug. 26. The booklet advises kids to avoid premarital sex and other "intimate behaviors" by participating in exercise and other pastimes, such as badminton, that "draw attention away from undesirable activities." The Education Bureau is undeterred by criticism and ridicule; it said the advice will help kids "cope with the various physiological and psychological consequences of premarital sex." Meanwhile, teenagers are incorporating it into their slang, with phrases such as "friends with badminton."

News You Can Use

Residents of Oxford, Massachusetts, are buzzing over a voluntary curfew officials put in place in late August, CNN reported. The restriction on outdoor activities after 6 p.m. through the end of September (and 5 p.m. in October until the first frost) is meant to keep citizens safe from mosquitoes that may be carrying eastern equine encephalitis, or EEE, a deadly infection, but about 200 people showed up at a town meeting to protest it. Officials say the curfew makes people more aware of the threat and gets them off the streets while communities are spraying chemicals to combat the mosquitoes. "It's an unpopular recommendation, but we feel that it's a really important part of a layered prevention strategy," said Dr. Catherine Brown, the Massachusetts state epidemiologist. One commenter on social media complained: "Government overreach in the name of safety has upended the lives of our kids enough." Others called for a dusk-to-dawn curfew, which would mean getting inside by about 8 p.m.

Least Competent Criminal

Deario Wilkerson, 20, literally fell into law enforcement's lap on Aug. 26 after he tried to hide out in the attic of a home in Memphis, NBC News reported. Wilkerson was wanted for first-degree murder in a case from April, in which Troy Cunningham was shot and killed in downtown Memphis. After the U.S. Marshals Service surrounded the home where Wilkerson was hiding, the fugitive fell through the ceiling into the kitchen of the home, landing uninjured.

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