“I didn’t expect to be scaling up a wall”: Batman and comic book heroes hunt down nightclub thief in real-life UK street chase

A man dressed as Batman recovered a stolen handbag after a chase through Norwich, according to The Guardian. Sonni Mason, a 25-year-old cafe worker from London, was at a friend’s fancy dress party when he saw a handbag snatched during an argument in a nightclub queue. Mason didn’t act alone, as other partygoers in comic book costumes joined him in the chase. The group included people dressed as Mister Fantastic and Poison Ivy. 

They flagged down nearby police officers before catching up with the suspected thief. By the time the group caught up, the suspect no longer had the bag. However, a tip-off led them to the perimeter of Norwich Cathedral. The handbag was sitting on top of a high flint wall, roughly 300 meters from where the theft occurred. Early attempts to retrieve the bag using a roll of toilet paper failed. However, Mason was still in his full Batman costume when he decided to scale the wall himself. 

He recovered the handbag and returned it to its owner with all of the contents still inside. In a post about the incident, he wrote that someone swiped the bag over a pack of cigarettes out of spite. He added that he chased the man down alongside a group of costumed heroes. Mason said he hopes to inspire people to be more like Batman, meaning helping others out rather than running around in the dark in a costume.

It’s not every day that Batman scales a cathedral wall

He said he wasn’t interested in fighting or jumping off rooftops, as his main goal was making sure everyone was safe. “That’s what Batman is about. He’s a protector,” Sonni Mason said. Mason captured the video of himself scaling the cathedral wall and uploaded it to his TikTok account. Mason added that people don’t need a costume to be a hero in their daily lives. 

Mason hopes more people will step in if they see someone being mugged or feeling uncomfortable on a night out. “It shouldn’t take a superhero costume to make you want to do that,” Sonni Mason said. He also hopes his video will push more people to step in when someone needs help on a night out. Everyone should be brave, bold and kind “whether or not they are wearing a cape or a cowl,” Sonni Mason said.  

A Norfolk police spokesperson confirmed the recovery. A spokesperson said, “Officers on routine night-time economy patrols in Norwich were approached by a member of the public, on Saturday September 19, who requested help to find a missing bag,” which was reportedly later located with its contents intact. Stolen property does not always come back so cleanly, as one woman found when a thief allegedly used her ID to take a T-Mobile iPhone delivery.