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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Cops: Dog Shot Man in Bed With Girlfriend

Not an Onion headline, but a true story out of Tennessee; the man wasn't critically injured

(Newser) - Are pit bulls trigger happy? One Tennessee man may be inclined to say so, after his dog shot him as he lounged in bed (the man, not the dog). WREG reports that the Memphis Police Department responded to an accidental-injury call before dawn on Monday, where Jerald Kirkwood informed them...

Mystery of Body Caught in Fishing Nets Is Solved

It's thought the woman had been buried at sea

(Newser) - A fishing boat made a grim catch last Thursday some 40 miles off the Massachusetts coast, reports the Boston Herald : the wrapped body of a woman ended up in its nets. The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office on Tuesday said it wasn't a case of foul play, but...

Severance Is Apparently Driving Dogs Crazy

Pet owners are scratching their heads over why their pups are freaked out by Apple TV's Severance

(Newser) - About a month ago, a strange post popped up on Reddit regarding one of Apple TV's most popular shows. "I think my dog is afraid of Severance" is the name of the thread, with pet owners detailing their pooches' odd reactions whenever the hit program starring Adam Scott...

Loch Ness Centre Reports 'Captivating' Sighting

It logs the first one of the year, amid plenty of skepticism

(Newser) - An "exciting mystery" has taken hold in Scotland, where the first reported sighting of the fabled Loch Ness Monster in 2025 has now been logged. The Loch Ness Centre, located near Inverness and the fabled Loch Ness body of water, announced Wednesday that a man on the shores of...

Odd Affliction That Causes Sawfish to Spin, Die Returns

22 reports of the odd spinning behavior around the Florida Keys reported since December

(Newser) - A mysterious affliction that causes endangered smalltooth sawfish to spin erratically in Florida waters and often die appears to have resurfaced, wildlife officials said Wednesday. Following a roughly nine-month lull, there have been 22 reports of the odd spinning behavior involving sawfish in waters around the Florida Keys since December,...

Scorpion Stings Woman as She Gets Luggage

Woman was at Boston's Logan Airport

(Newser) - A woman trying to get her luggage from the baggage claim area at Boston Logan International Airport on Sunday night instead got stung by a scorpion. The unnamed 40-year-old woman was taken to a hospital after the incident but her current condition was unknown, NBC Boston reported Monday. Details of...

Dad in a Pickle With Toddler Named 'Unakite Thirteen Hotel'
Dad Fights to Change
Daughter's Very Odd Name
in case you missed it
Mar 2, 2025 3:50 PM CST

Dad Fights to Change Daughter's Very Odd Name

Toddler's 'computer-generated' hospital name is 'Unakite Thirteen Hotel'; dad calls her Caroline

(Newser) - An infant without a known parent or guardian is often given what the New York Times calls "a nonsensical placeholder name" that's quickly changed once a legal guardian is established. The name given to a baby girl born Nov. 5, 2022, at a home in Council Bluffs, Iowa,...

In the Hamptons, Bizarre Drama Over a $25 Gift Card

Wall Street Journal reports on principal accused of stealing it and who insists she's innocent

(Newser) - It's a strange one in the Hamptons: The Wall Street Journal reports that a $25 gift card that went missing from a school in the hamlet of Amagansett has resulted in an investigation that has cost $25,000. Elementary school principal Maria Dorr has been accused of taking it...

Golfer Uses Club to Redirect Alligator on the Course

Billy Horschel calls incident 'not that big of a deal'

(Newser) - Golfer Billy Horschel found himself facing an uninvited guest at the PGA National Thursday when an alligator strolled onto the green in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, just after Horschel finished the sixth hole. As the golfer walked to the seventh hole, he noticed a police officer trying in vain to...

Man's Cocaine Hiding Spot Doesn't Stay Hidden

The 'narco wig' didn't work as intended

(Newser) - Colombian police apprehended a 40-year-old man attempting to smuggle several bags of cocaine concealed beneath a meticulously attached toupee. Police said the suspect was detained at Cartagena's airport on Monday as he prepared to board a flight to Amsterdam. A scanner revealed the hidden cargo: 220 grams of cocaine...

After Trip, Her Legs Were Burning. Culprit: a Brain Worm
Woman's Unwelcome Souvenir
From Trip: a Brain Worm
in case you missed it
Feb 23, 2025 3:10 PM CST

Woman's Unwelcome Souvenir From Trip: a Brain Worm

Parasite contracted in Hawaii or Southeast Asia caused patient's legs to feel like they were burning

(Newser) - A woman on a whirlwind three-week junket to Hawaii, Japan, and Thailand returned home with an unwanted memento: a parasite that embedded itself in her brain and made her legs feel like they were burning. That odd sensation started out in the New England 30-year-old's feet after she got...

DOJ: 'Bonnie & Clyde' Made Romantic Stop While Criming

Feds say couple on robbery spree made Vegas stop to get hitched, then saw a Valentine's Day bust

(Newser) - Authorities say a couple busted for an armed robbery spree across California has been indicted by a federal grand jury, with some interesting details on what they allegedly did while they were criming and how their two-week run last year came to an end. Per a DOJ release cited by...

Judge on Shoplifters: Let Them Wash Cars

Those with sticky fingers at Walmart will get a chance to wash them really well

(Newser) - A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters, ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring arrives. Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart and rewards shoppers who could see higher prices, or possibly...

Hitchhiking Snake Turns Up in NH Store's Bananas

Ornate cat-eyed snake finds a new home after traveling from South America

(Newser) - A venomous snake traveled from South America to New Hampshire in a bunch of bananas before it was discovered by shocked employees at a Manchester grocery store on Saturday. "We're lucky enough that one of the workers at Market Basket was very familiar with reptiles," Lt. Adam...

Monkey Knocks Out Entire Nation's Power
Monkey
Knocks Out
Entire Nation's
Power
in case you missed it
Feb 15, 2025 7:00 AM CST

Monkey Knocks Out Entire Nation's Power

There might have been a monkey fight at a substation on Sri Lanka

(Newser) - The entire nation of Sri Lanka lost power for hours on Sunday, and authorities were quick to cast blame. "A monkey came into contact with our grid transformer, causing an imbalance in the power system," said energy minister Kumara Jayakody, per the BBC . The Ceylon Electricity Board apologized,...

This Valentine's Day, Give Your Ex a Dead Rat

Or at least one named for them, and then feed it to an owl

(Newser) - For those who feel like dissing instead of kissing a former lover on Friday—Valentine's Day—you can name a dead frozen rat for your ex or send a message that they should never procreate. As the AP reports, animal shelters and zoos around the country are encouraging cathartic...

These Sailors Are 'Essentially Imprisoned'

AP dives into dilemma of trapped seamen whose ships have been abandoned by their owners

(Newser) - More ships than ever are being abandoned around the world by their owners, according to the United Nations' labor and maritime organizations, leaving thousands of workers stuck on board without pay or the means to travel home to their families. Cases have doubled in the past three years, impacting more...

Doctor in Hot Water for Operating on His Cat

Italian prosecutors are looking into his actions

(Newser) - An Italian doctor saved Athena's life after performing a CAT scan and pneumothorax surgery on her at Umberto Parini hospital in Aosta. It could run him afoul of prosecutors, who are looking into the incident—because Athena is a cat. As the Guardian reports, Gianluca Fanelli's pet fell...

NY Judge Resigns After 'Astounding' Jury Duty Excuse

Richard T. Snyder said he thought everyone who appeared in court was guilty

(Newser) - An upstate New York judge has resigned after he got out of jury duty by claiming that he couldn't be impartial—because he thought everyone brought before a court is guilty. Richard T. Snyder, who'd been a justice of the Petersburgh Town Court for about a decade, left...

Commercial Flights Make It Snow in Denver
Flights Into Denver
Accidentally Made It Snow
in case you missed it
Feb 1, 2025 11:31 AM CST

Flights Into Denver Accidentally Made It Snow

Jets flew through a cloud of water droplets in cold temperatures, explains the Washington Post

(Newser) - Congratulations, passengers aboard United Flight 5528 into Denver on Saturday night, you made it snow. More precisely, your airplane did, as did other aircraft landing at Denver International Airport that evening, but the United jet fared particularly well as a weather-maker, reports the Washington Post . In the story, meteorologist Matthew...

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