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Spider-Man Impersonator Arrested in Virginia for $10K Anime Card Theft

Spider-Man Unmasked: Virginia Man Arrested for $10K Anime Card Heist

A man dressed as Spider-Man was arrested in Fairfax, Virginia, for allegedly stealing nearly $10,000 worth of anime trading cards from a local game store. The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Joel Brown, was charged with burglary after an overnight break-in at Gaming Giant.

The Heist and Arrest

On March 15, just after 11 AM, City of Fairfax Police responded to a burglary report at Gaming Giant on University Drive. The store owner reported that a suspect, later identified as Joel Brown, had broken in overnight and made off with a significant collection of valuable trading cards.

  • Brown, from Silver Spring, Maryland, had reportedly visited the store earlier, inquiring about the cards.

  • He later returned, disguised in a Spider-Man costume, to allegedly commit the burglary.

  • Authorities apprehended Brown after receiving tips from the public.

  • He was held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center before being released on an unsecured bond.

The Stolen Goods

The target of the theft was a display case containing highly sought-after trading cards from popular anime series. The stolen cards included:

  • Pokémon

  • Dragon Ball

  • One Piece

The total value of the stolen cards is estimated to be nearly $10,000.

Community Reaction

The incident has left the local gaming community disheartened. Customers expressed a sense of betrayal, highlighting the close-knit nature of their community.

  • One customer told FOX 5 they felt "kind of depressed" by the news.

  • Another frequent customer stated, "Him actually coming in here and taking from the store and a community that we’ve developed and hold dear, it’s just wrong.

J. Jonah Jameson Weighs In

In a comically ironic turn, the fictional character J. Jonah Jameson, Spider-Man's notorious critic from the Marvel universe, took to X (formerly Twitter) to comment on the real-life arrest. His tweets, lambasting Spider-Man as a "masked menace" and questioning his heroic status, quickly went viral, garnering over 5.5 million views and 214,000 likes.

  • First, he breaks the law, now he’s stealing Pokémon cards! What’s next? I’ve been saying it for YEARS! Spider-Man isn’t some hero—he’s a masked menace!"

  • "What, the bank vaults weren’t good enough for him? This is who you idolize?! WAKE UP, PEOPLE!!!!!"

This incident serves as a bizarre intersection of pop culture and real-world crime, leaving both the local community and online observers in disbelief.

Sources

  • US 'Spider-Man' arrested for stealing anime trading cards worth $10K - World News, Financial Express.

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