strange stuff

From strange crimes to strange celebrity deaths, read all of the latest weird and strange stuff news stories on Newser.com

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Guy With Zombie Baby as Passenger Gets $136 Ticket

He was in the HOV lane, but no one else (alive) was in the car

(Newser) - A Washington man tried to use his Halloween decor in an innovative way Tuesday morning, but it didn't work out so well for him. "A trooper stopped this #HOV lane violator this morning near #Tacoma...At least he's in the [Halloween] spirit. #TrickOrTicket," tweeted the Washington...

California Police Department to Use Nunchucks

They're sometimes better than a baton, one sergeant says

(Newser) - If you run into a police officer in Anderson, California, don't be surprised if he's sporting some nunchucks instead of a baton. The Northern California police department is outfitting its 20 officers with the weapon popularized by Bruce Lee because it wanted another nonlethal way to bring a...

Man Kills 'Zombie' Friend After Walking Dead Binge

He used guitar, microwave in beating, police say

(Newser) - A New Mexico man watched so much of The Walking Dead—and drank so much malt liquor—that police say he became convinced his friend was a zombie and acted accordingly. Police say Damon Perry, 23, beat, kicked, and stabbed his friend Christopher Paquin, also 23, to death after the...

Woman Shot by Dog ... Named Trigger

Yep, this happened

(Newser) - If you name your dog Trigger, you're sort of tempting fate. And in the case of one Indiana woman, fate came back to bite her in the butt. Or, more accurately, shoot her in the foot. Allie Carter, 25, was hunting with her labrador retriever, the aforementioned Trigger, when...

Woman Stranded 13 Years After Crossing Border Goes Home

Deaf-mute woman Geeta was only 11 when she wandered into Pakistan

(Newser) - Geeta was about 11 when she somehow crossed the militarized border between India and Pakistan. A deaf-mute Indian girl, Geeta couldn't explain exactly what happened, but mimed an explosion, ducking out of the way, and then her discovery at the Lahore railway station, report Reuters and the Indian Express...

After Violence, Venue Change, Jack-o-Lantern Fest Fizzles

New Hampshire's onetime record-breaking festival hits less than a third its goal

(Newser) - A pumpkin festival failed to scare up a world record for jack-o-lanterns. The New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival in Laconia was trying to break the record of more than 30,500 lit jack-o-lanterns. It came up far short Saturday, with only 9,567 pumpkins. The festival was previously held in Keene....

Guy Creates 'Sovereign Nation' of Zaqistan—in Utah

Step right up, get your visa

(Newser) - A New York man is building his own sovereign nation called Zaqistan on a remote piece of land in Utah. Zaq Landsberg has a yellow-and-red flag, official-looking passports, and a border patrol gate guarded by a giant robot sentry for the realm, KSL-TV reports. "The conceptual goal is I...

This Is What It's Like to 'Hate Sound'

Experts say up to 20% of people may suffer from misophonia

(Newser) - Does a loud chewer drive you crazy—to the point that you'd rather leave the room than endure the chomping? It turns out you might be the one with the problem. Researchers say people with an extreme aversion to certain sounds—like chewing, foot-tapping, or sniffing—may suffer from...

Uncovered: Historic Video of Parachuting Beavers

Yes, really

(Newser) - More than half a century after a group of beavers parachuted into the Idaho backcountry, officials have uncovered footage of the quirky wildlife management moment. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game was struggling with an overpopulation of beavers in some regions in the 1940s when wildlife managers settled on...

Home Finally Sells, Despite Booby Trap Warning

Officials had some trouble offloading Ed and Elaine Brown's compound

(Newser) - Two New Hampshire properties finally sold at auction Thursday, despite the fact that they may be booby-trapped. The Christian Science Monitor has the backstory: A 6,000-square-foot house on a 100-acre property, plus a nearby dental office, were owned by Ed and Elaine Brown, who were convicted of tax evasion...

Driver's Alleged Crime: Drinking Coffee

Minnesota woman was left 'dumbfounded'

(Newser) - There's a good chance you broke the law on your way to work today—at least in the eyes of Minnesota police. The offense: drinking coffee while driving. Lindsey Krieger tells KMSP she was "dumbfounded" when an officer told her she'd been pulled over for the apparent...

O'Hare Gets Pet Potty Zone, With Fake Fire Hydrants

Insert 'gone to the dogs' joke here

(Newser) - Chicago's O'Hare International Airport has opened an indoor space, complete with artificial grass and miniature fire hydrants, for pets and service animals to do their business. In particular, the addition will make it easier for travelers with disabilities who will no longer have to go back out through...

Wild Passenger Fatally Swallowed $63K of Cocaine

One of 80 pellets burst in John Kennedy Santos Gurjao's stomach

(Newser) - Authorities now know how a passenger died during this weekend's eventful Aer Lingus flight from Lisbon to Dublin. A postmortem has determined that Brazilian John Kennedy Santos Gurjao, 24, was carrying almost 2 pounds of suspected cocaine—worth about $63,500–in 80 pellets in his stomach. Then one...

Hunters Kill 2 Moose ... Behind a Fence, in a Zoo

They didn't realize their mistake until it was too late

(Newser) - Hunters in Norway bagged two moose, somehow without realizing they were shooting at the animals through a fence. And not just any fence, but the fence of the Polar Park zoo, The Local reports. As the hunters explained to the zoo, their hounds somehow got inside the animals' enclosure and...

Passenger Bites Man, Dies Before Landing

Man 'ran amok' on flight to Ireland

(Newser) - Authorities are hoping a postmortem on a dead passenger will explain the madness that unfolded on a flight from Lisbon to Dublin on Sunday night. According to the Irish Mirror , the man went berserk on Aer Lingus Flight 485 and bit another passenger before crew members were able to restrain...

Simpsons Joke Inspires Man's Drive to Rename Aussie Money

'Millions of people around the world' will want some of this funny money: petitioner

(Newser) - Malcolm Turnbull has been Australia's prime minister for just over a month, but he's already got a tall order before him. "If the leaders of this great nation have any common sense at all, they will introduce legislation to parliament to change the name of our currency...

24/7 Church Vigil Comes to Forced End, 11 Years Later

Archdiocese closed the church in 2004

(Newser) - Parishioners of a long-closed Catholic church south of Boston have lost their appeal of a ruling ordering them to end their 11-year, 24/7 vigil inside the building. The Massachusetts Appeals Court affirmed a judge's ruling Wednesday that parishioners at St. Frances X. Cabrini Church in Scituate are trespassing on...

Woman's Halloween Decor Gets Cops Called to House

3 days in a row

(Newser) - A dummy placed face down in a Detroit woman's front yard as a Halloween prank has prompted repeated visits by police. Larethia Haddon says police showed up Tuesday, the first day she put the dummy out. Officer Jennifer Moreno tells the Detroit News that officers arrived again Wednesday and...

Missing King Cobra Found Under Neighbor's Dryer

10-foot snake is back with his owners

(Newser) - Elvis is back in the building. Elvis, in this case, being the missing king cobra snake that was returned to its owner's home near Orlando after being on the loose for more than a month. A woman who lives about a half-mile from owner (and Discovery Channel reality star...

Girl Has Sneezed 20 Times a Minute for Last Month

Doctors say the condition might be stress-related

(Newser) - A girl in Angleton, Texas, started sneezing in spurts about a month ago. "I thought it was like, oh, I'm just allergic to something," 12-year-old Katelyn Thornley tells Fox 26 . But now she can't stop—to the tune of 20 times a minute, or thousands of...

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