And That’s the Thanks They Get?

A Dalton, New Hampshire, man is in custody after stealing a rescue truck on Aug. 25th and using it to ram into a fire engine while firefighters battled his own house fire. NBC 10 in Boston reported that Nestor Roman II, 30, not only hit the fire engine, which sustained significant damage, but also ran over water supply lines, crashed into a personal vehicle, knocked over nearby fences, and narrowly missed three firefighters before ending his wrecking spree by crashing into a nearby property and attempting to steal items off the porch. No one was injured, and firefighters were able to continue using the hoses to work on the fire. The house, however, ended up being a total loss, and Roman is charged with multiple counts of reckless conduct, theft, burglary, and resisting arrest.
[NBC 10 Boston, 8/26/26]

Luggage Lizards

Customs officers at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport discovered some truly wild contraband in one passenger’s luggage on Aug. 8th, reported the Times of India: 22 pairs of socks stuffed with 200 lizards. Daniel Isaac Velasco Baltazar, 23, who had flown to Japan from South Korea, purchased the lizards — some of them endangered — in Mexico for anywhere from $3.50 to $4.50 each, possibly hoping to sell them in Japan, where they could be worth up to $630. After being arrested, Baltazar confessed to smuggling the lizards.
[Times of India, 8/17/26] 

Wandering Kinkajou Rescued in Texas

On Aug. 20th, law enforcement officers in North Richland Hills, Texas, responded to a call about a small kangaroo or monkey seeking shelter behind a trash can outside of a restaurant. Police discovered a kinkajou, a nocturnal mammal native to the tropical forests of Central and South America. KDFW reported that the kinkajou, also called a “honey bear,” had burn marks on its paws from the hot concrete. Officers placed a towel around it before removing it from behind the trash can. The kinkajou was first taken to North Richland Hills Animal Services Center before being moved to Nature’s Edge Wildlife and Reptile Rescue. Exotic pets are not allowed in the city, and no one has come forward to claim ownership of the kinkajou, so how this nocturnal mammal came to be outside of a restaurant on a hot, sunny day in Texas is still a mystery. [KDFW, 8/21/26]

Owl at Sea 

Reuters reported on Aug. 20th that a barn owl had joined a British Army sailing crew — 70 nautical miles from shore. The crew aboard the Fujitsu British Soldier was competing in the 50th Anniversary RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race when they found their stowaway. The bird — which the crew named “Little Regina” — fell into the sea three times before collapsing onto the deck, where sailors rescued it. The Barn Owl Trust, Marine and Wildlife Rescue, and Caister Independent Lifeboat coordinated to sail out and retrieve Little Regina and take her to a wildlife center so the crew from the Fujitsu British Soldier could finish the race. [Reuters, 8/20/26]

Bull on the Run

Law enforcement received a call about a bull traveling along Highway 35 in Half Moon Bay, California, late in the evening of Aug. 18th. According to KTVU, the bull had been on the run for several days. The California Highway Patrol and San Mateo County Sheriff’s deputies attempted to clear the roadway for capture. “You know, they don’t cover this in the police academy, so they tried unsuccessfully for a couple of hours to get the bull secured,” said Capt. Eamonn Allen, Coastside Commander for the San Mateo Sheriff’s Office. “They tried a couple of methods and just realized that their efforts were futile.” Realizing they needed an expert wrangler, they called in Samuel Palomino of Sea Horse Ranch. Palomino lassoed the animal while standing in the back of a sheriff’s pickup, but the rope broke. After a second attempt, Palomino secured the wayward bull around 3 a.m. Officials said the bull was returned to its pen. [KTVU, 8/21/26]

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

NEWS OF THE WEIRD
© 2026 Andrews McMeel Syndication.
Reprinted with permission.
All rights reserved.