A man in a wheelchair struggling to cross six lanes of traffic in Jonesboro, Arkansas, got unexpected help from a superhero in a Spider-Man costume who leaped out of a red Jeep waiting at a light. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
Christopher Hellenthal was still wearing his Spider-Man costume from a superhero-themed event at a trampoline park where he works when he spotted the person in traffic Tuesday and ran to help, declaring: "I got you."
Hellenthal swiftly rolled the wheelchair to safety only seconds before the light changed and traffic advanced. The moment was captured by a street security camera and shared on social media by local police, who thanked Hellenthal for helping the man reach safety.
"I had a bunch of adrenaline pumping through me," Hellenthal, 20, told The Associated Press, adding he had to act quickly in bustling midday traffic. "I was just kind of thinking, 'I'm wearing this suit; it's gonna be pretty funny.'"
After rolling the man safely across the road, Hellenthal bolted back into his Jeep blocking traffic "because the light turned green pretty fast."
After the Jonesboro Police Department shared the video on Facebook, it became a sensation, quickly accumulating tens of thousands of likes. One person commented about a missed opportunity to strike a "spidey pose."
"Not in my 7 years in the department have I witnessed this," said Sally Smith, a department spokesperson. Police did not identify the individual in the wheelchair by name.
Hellenthal, who lives in Lake City, said he's always been a Spider-Man fan. He said he even had the opportunity to meet the late Stan Lee.
Packy Magel, a manager at Ultimate Air Trampoline Park who works with Hellenthal, said he recognized Hellenthal from the video despite his superhero getup. "It's very much like him to do something like that and very much like him to be still in costume," Magel said.