C2C's Bizarre Blotter for 2025

By Tim Binnall

This past year featured a slew of truly unusual incidents involving individuals who found themselves in trouble with the law. In just some of the peculiar cases to cross our desk over the year, aliens were blamed for two separate murders, a pair of pet peacocks were eaten out of spite, panic-inducing predictions landed popular psychics in jail, and a scuba gear-clad robber committed an aquatic version of the D.B. Cooper heist at a Disney riverboat restaurant. 2025 proved, once again, that the truth is stranger than fiction when it comes to the handiwork of ne'er-do-wells and miscreants. With that in mind, here is this year's installment of C2C's proverbial police log that we've come to call the Bizarre Blotter:

• Aggravated Battery: A Florida driver waiting for a chicken to cross the road allegedly sprayed another driver with bear mace after they barreled over the bird.

• Aggravated Robbery: A Salt Lake City man allegedly stole his friend's backpack following a scuffle wherein the suspect accused the victim of being a werewolf and wielded a wooden stake with the intention of taking down the suspected lycanthrope.

• Animal Cruelty: A feud between Florida neighbors reached a bizarre crescendo when one of the battling homeowners allegedly ate his own pet peacocks to spite his rival, who had been feeding them against his wishes. A pair of pranksters in India found themselves in trouble with the law after they sparked a panic by strapping colored lights to pigeons and releasing the illuminated creatures over several confused and concerned communities. A serial cat shaver received a stern warning from police after several pet felines in a British community turned up with patches of their fur missing.

• Creepy Clowns: A man dressed as a haunting harlequin was arrested for allegedly menacing shoppers at a Mexican mall. A chainsaw-wielding clown was busted in New York State, and a jester armed with a dagger was arrested for allegedly threatening his neighbor with a dagger. Meanwhile, a man in a full clown costume was busted for trespassing outside a Florida shopping center. Both a Swedish town and a Minnesota city found themselves on edge following a spate of creepy clown sightings.

• DUI: A Minnesota man with the delightful name Patches Magickbeans was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of magic mushrooms. An Indiana motorist charged with drunk driving told police he crashed his truck after a chupacabra ran across the road in front of the vehicle.

• Endangering a Child: A California woman was arrested for a bizarre incident wherein a young boy fell from the back of a horse after she allegedly yanked on the animal's tail as the youngster was enjoying a pony ride. Meanwhile, a youngster's concerns about a monster in their room took a terrifying turn when their babysitter checked for the boogeyman and discovered an intruder, who was later charged with multiple crimes, including child endangerment, hiding under the bed.

• Fraud: An Italian man was busted trying to impersonate his dead mother as part of a long-running scheme wherein he collected her pension checks for years. Over two dozen individuals were arrested in Turkey as part of an alleged criminal enterprise centered around fake treasure maps that led to equally phony riches.

• Grand Theft Auto: An alleged car thief in Florida expressed bewilderment when busted by police, claiming to have teleported into the vehicle by nefarious aliens.

• Kidnapping: A Texas motorist who struck and killed a dog was allegedly forced to dig the unfortunate animal's grave by its gun-wielding owner.

• Murder: A fatal Pennsylvania shooting made headlines after it was revealed that the suspect attributed his actions to a worrisome reading from a 'paranormal meter.' A Las Vegas man arrested for allegedly murdering his father claimed that aliens told him to commit the dastardly deed. In a strangely similar case, a Minnesota man allegedly murdered his neighbor out of fear that he was an extraterrestrial poised to take him away on a UFO. An accused killer in Colombia, caught after being on the run for two months, credited a "diabolical goblin" with helping him evade capture.

• Psychic Shenanigans: A Japanese fortune teller was implicated in a pair of mysterious drowning deaths that authorities believe were orchestrated by the self-described mystic. A popular online astrologer in Myanmar was arrested for causing a public panic after he predicted that the country would be rocked by a second earthquake following a monstrous March tremor. A Thai fortune teller was threatened with similar criminal charges after she predicted a border clash that never materialized.

• Public Intoxication: A Kentucky man was arrested for public intoxication, among other charges, following a wild incident wherein he allegedly released a raccoon into a business after a dispute with the owner.

• Robbery: A group of brazen miscreants pulled off a bizarre heist at a Colorado pet store wherein one of the ne'er-do-wells faked having a seizure as an accomplice stole two bulldog puppies. A scuba-clad man (seen above) brazenly robbed a Disney riverboat restaurant and then swam away from the scene of the crime in an aquatic version of the legendary D.B. Cooper heist.

• Smuggling: Indian authorities busted a man allegedly trying to smuggle 47 venomous vipers into the country, and officials in Thailand thwarted an operation aimed at sneaking a staggering 81 monkeys across the border.

• Stalking: A Texas woman was arrested for stalking after she allegedly orchestrated a scheme wherein she legally wed her ex-boyfriend without his knowledge.

• Theft: Among the odd items stolen in 2025 were a South African town's beloved mannequin mascot, an Amelia Earhart statue in Canada, two endangered turtles at an Indiana zoo, a pair of bodies at an abandoned Pennsylvania mausoleum, and a Washington State woman's pet chicken.

• Vandalism: A Florida psychic shop was struck by a ne'er-do-well who smashed the front window of the fortune-telling parlor. The leader of a motorcycle club in Mexico was lambasted after he tagged a beloved UFO monument with his less-than-menacing moniker, El Picachu. An Australian teen faced charges for allegedly sticking large googly eyes on a controversial piece of public art. A miscreant on a lawnmower smashed multiple mailboxes during a wild ride through a Florida neighborhood.