A motorist wearing a Spider-Man costume has been hailed as a hero after video surfaced showing him stopping to help a man in a wheelchair navigate a busy intersection in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
The incident, captured by traffic cameras on Tuesday, shows Christopher Hellenthal, 20, exiting his vehicle in full costume to assist the individual. Hellenthal, who had been wearing the costume for a children's event earlier in the day, noticed the man struggling to cross the street and decided to intervene.
"I just got out real fast, and I just helped him along, adrenaline pumping through me," Hellenthal told Fox News. "I just told the man, I said, ‘don’t worry I got you,’ and I guess he understood, and I got him to a safe spot, and I made it back to my vehicle and just drove off."
Hellenthal stated that he would have helped the man regardless of whether he was in costume. The Jonesboro Police Department shared the video on their Facebook page, commending Hellenthal as a "true superhero" for his act of kindness.
"We were able to spot this little web of kindness on our intersection cameras. Thank you, sir, for helping this gentleman reach his destination safely," the department wrote.
A spokesperson for the Jonesboro Police Department, Sally Smith, told The Associated Press that she had not witnessed such an event in her seven years with the department.
Hellenthal, a resident of Lake City, expressed his admiration for the Spider-Man character and mentioned meeting one of his co-creators, the late Stan Lee.
Packy Magel, a manager at Ultimate Air Trampoline Park where Hellenthal works, recognized him in the video and commented that such an act was characteristic of Hellenthal's personality.