A man dressed as the Marvel superhero Spider-Man exited his vehicle on a busy Arkansas highway to help a pedestrian using a wheelchair cross the road. The incident was captured by traffic cameras and shared by the Jonesboro Police Department.
Christopher Hellenthal, 20, was still in his Spider-Man costume after working a superhero-themed event at a trampoline park when he observed the man in the wheelchair having difficulty navigating the six-lane roadway. Footage shows Hellenthal emerging from his red Jeep Wrangler and pushing the wheelchair to safety.
"I had a bunch of adrenaline pumping through me," Hellenthal told The Associated Press. "I was just kind of thinking, 'I'm wearing this suit; it's gonna be pretty funny.'"
Hellenthal, a self-proclaimed superhero fan who previously met Marvel Comics and Spider-Man creator Stan Lee, stated that his intention was partly humor given his attire.
The Jonesboro Police Department posted the video of the event on Facebook, where it has accumulated over 1.7 million views. The department captioned the video, "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. Whether it's a red light or green light, there is always time to do what's right!"
Commenters on the police department's post recognized Hellenthal's actions. His manager, Angie Walker, identified him as an employee of Ultimate Air Trampoline Park and confirmed the incident was spontaneous, not staged. "He is just a great person who saw somebody struggling and needed help. He just happened to be in a superhero suit," Walker wrote.
Another commenter noted the act as one of good citizenship, highlighting that Hellenthal was not obligated to intervene but did so to prevent a potential accident.
The incident occurred approximately one week before the release of the film "Spider-Man: Brand New Day."