A man in a Spider-Man costume became a real-life superhero this week in Jonesboro, Arkansas, when he dashed across a busy intersection to help a person in a wheelchair safely cross the street. The moment was captured by a Jonesboro traffic camera, and the video has since sparked widespread praise on social media.
The incident occurred Tuesday at the intersection of Caraway Road and Highland Drive as the person in the wheelchair was slowly making their way through the crosswalk while traffic waited. That’s when a red Jeep came to a stop and the costumed driver, identified as Christopher Hellenthal, jumped out of his vehicle and ran directly into the intersection.
Hellenthal moved quickly to push the wheelchair across the remaining lanes of traffic before the traffic light could change. According to his account, everything happened very fast. “I’m going to be honest, everything happened so fast and the adrenaline just kind of kicked in,” he explained. “I didn’t see any reactions or nothing like that because I’m like, as soon as I came out of that vehicle is whenever the light turned green. So I knew I had to go really fast.”
The crosswalk was not empty for long. After successfully helping the pedestrian reach the other side of the street, Hellenthal jogged back to his Jeep, keeping a watchful eye on traffic to ensure the rescue effort didn’t create a dangerous situation of its own.
Hellenthal had just finished working a Superhero Day event at Ultimate Air Trampoline Park, where employees wear costumes to entertain young children. He wasn’t expecting his act of kindness to become the center of attention. When the Jonesboro Police Department posted the traffic camera footage to Facebook, the response was overwhelming. “I was taking a nap, and my mom woke me up and said, Hey, you’re on Facebook,” Hellenthal recalled. “I saw that it was the Jonesboro Police Department that put up that video, and we just watched it every hour and every hour. The likes and comments just kept getting higher and higher. And, all of a sudden, the next morning I had people calling up to the store wanting to do interviews.”
Pachy Magel, an assistant manager at Ultimate Air Trampoline Park, expressed his pride in Hellenthal’s actions. “Seeing it for the first time, I just have to tell you, it was, on the one hand, heartwarming,” Magel said. “On the other hand, it was comical to me because he’s one of our employees, you know? And he shot out so quick, I thought, it’s more like Flash than Spider-Man!” Despite the humorous observation, Magel emphasized the deeper meaning of the moment. “It’s just good to see anyone in today’s day and time doing something nice for someone else,” he said.
Hellenthal said his love of comics started when he was a kid, and he has since made it a point to wear the Spider-Man suit while out and about in town, taking photos with people and making children smile. He even recalled meeting Stan Lee when he was younger, which inspired his decision to don costumes as a way to connect with others. “I always thought that whenever I get older, if I could just put on a suit and make some little kid believe that he saw the real one, that maybe he’d turn out to be a good person,” he explained.
The Jonesboro Police Department praised Hellenthal’s quick thinking in a Facebook post that resonated with many people. “We were able to spot this little web of kindness on our intersection cameras,” the department wrote. “Some people say cops are heroes, but even we need a little helping hand. 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!”
The video has generated considerable discussion online, with commenters noting that not all heroes wear capes—though in this case, one certainly did. Hellenthal’s split-second decision to help a stranger has become a reminder that acts of kindness, no matter how small, can make a real difference and inspire others to do the same.