Ninja' Arrested After Lurking in Neighbors' Bushes Says He Was Trying to Help Cops Fight Crime

A self-styled "ninja" said he was just trying to help police out and catch some bad guys.

Cops didn't see it that way.

Image source: WJAC-TV

Todd Kapcsos, of Johnstown, Pa. was arrested and charged with loitering, prowling at night and disorderly conduct after he dressed all in black and was lurking near homes with a baseball bat and a mask, WJAC-TV reported.

"I dressed up in all black, just snuck around and went through bushes," Kapcsos told WJAC. He said he was practicing "ninja techniques" including rolling into a ball and hiding in the shadows.

"There's not enough police officers. I think neighbors should do something other than sit back," he said.

Neighbor Chris Trevino spotted Kapcsos outside the night of July 15 and worried he was up to no good.

"He was running like a ninja, not like a normal person jogging," Trevino told the station. "He was going back and forth, creeping...it looked morel like he was trying to break into homes, not like he was going to be a hero and save the world."

Trevino called the police, after which she said Kapcsos "ninja-ran" across the alley and right into a waiting officer.

According to the Associated Press, there have been several high-profile crimes in the Johnstown area where Kapcsos was lurking, about 60 miles east of Pittsburgh, in recent months, including a car wash stabbing three weeks after he was arrested.

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