Hey, I like to be helpful. In fact, when I’m at Home Depot and I see someone there who needs help I generally try to pitch in… and sometimes I get presumed upon as if I work there (usually when I’m wearing the wrong color shirt or being particularly focused on a set of tools or products). But I’ve never once thought that I’d be more helpful if I dressed up in a Batman outfit. It just never crossed my mind.
But apparently, for Matthew Argintar, that just made a lot of sense. Hey, I grew up in the Lehigh Valley (in Pennsylvania where this incident took place) and let me tell you – there are a LOT of strange people living there… In fact, ask around and I was probably one of them… but in Mansfield Township, this 23-year-old got arrested for it. Turns out, Matthew thought it’d be a great idea to stalk the Home Depot parking lot dressed up as Batman, asking customers if they needed help. That might not be anything other than funny… were it not for the Colorado shooting incident that happened just two weeks prior.
And then there’s the fact that, in addition to the Batman mask, this guy’s outfit included “tactical pants” (whatever the heck those are), elbow and arm pads, and even a bulletproof vest. That’s just not the mark of a person playing with a full deck. Customers were, for obvious reason, a bit concerned and quickly called the police. When they showed up on the scene, they arrested Argintar, charging him with a disorderly persons offense and for possession of handcuffs.
According to the article at lehighvalleylive.com, Argintar claimed to be an honorably discharged member of the U.S. Army who was simply “trying to inspire hope because that’s what the people need right now: hope.” Next week he allegedly plans to try the stunt again, but wearing an Obama mask… OK, I just made that part up.
