'Bar Harbor Batman' Arrest Shocks Locals
A man in Maine who dresses up like "Batman" has been arrested on terrorism charges after he made a bomb threat to a local hospital as an April Fool's joke.
Christopher Schwartz, known in and around the Bar Harbor area as the "Bar Harbor Batman," enjoys donning the uniform of the "Caped Crusader," just not like acting like a superhero.
According to reports, Schwartz posted a rant on Facebook that described his plan and intention to blow up a local hospital if he was not paid $1 million.
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The post was discovered on April 1 and local authorities quickly respond to the potential threat.
He said that he had learned his lesson the hard way after the April Fool's prank led to his arrest on terrorizing charges. Schwartz was arrested on Sunday and he is scheduled to appear in court in June, according to WABI.
Officer Thom Tardiff told the Bangor Daily News that Schwartz told police he was kidding, but then asked officers if they had brought the money.
Schwartz, who lives two blocks from Mount Desert Island Hospital in Bar Harbor, is known for dressing as Batman and dancing around town. He has since apologized on his Facebook page for "any panic or mass hysteria" that he caused, according to WABI.
Schwartz says it was just a prank, and states that "from now on, in every post, I've gone through recently, and I've started adding this is a joke, please don't take this seriously."
Schwartz is currently free on bail.
Another Batman fan was pulled over in his Italian sports car in Maryland for not having the proper license plates on his "Batmobile" as he was on his way to help sick children.
The man behind the mask was Lenny B. Robinson, a successful business man doing good by giving back. Robinson buys about $25,000 worth of Batman toys each year to hand to children he visits at the hospital, according to The Washington Post.
