Thanks 2016, it's been weird

Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Years from now when our children or grandchildren ask about this monumental year, it'll be hard to explain. People lived in fear of clowns, chased imaginary monsters and the highways of Houston were halted by a number of naked pedestrians.

Here are the highlights of strangeness that made up this twilight zone-esque year.

As if Houston traffic wasn't difficult enough, this year drivers had to deal with a new obstacle: naked pedestrians.
[Ads /]
  1. Highway 290 shut down following crash, naked woman on freeway

  2. After a wreck, a woman stripped down and got on top of the cab of a big rig.
    Naked woman shuts down freeway

    That woman refused to come down for about two hours.

    The woman, clearly agitated, stood up a few times, but then returned to sitting on the cab of the 18-wheeler. She even did a few dance moves.

  3. Naked man spotted running along 610

  4. Numerous motorists reported seeing the unidentified naked man jogging down the shoulder of I-610 westbound near the I-45 interchange.
    Naked man spotted in north Houston

    A group of friends was heading to the Texans game and, when they spotted the man, they grabbed their phones to start recording.
    [Ads /]
    While hundreds of traffic incidents happen in Texas everyday, none were quite like this.

  5. Woman frightened by mouse mistakenly sends SUV into Corpus Chisti Bay

  6. It's not as terrifying as snakes on a plane, but a mouse in car caused a woman to crash into Corpus Christi Bay.
    Woman's car in Corpus Christi Bay after mouse scare

    Fortunately the woman wasn't injured, but officers say she was embarrassed about the whole incident.

    If you think a mouse in your car is scary, then you probably didn't enjoy clowns this year.

  7. Clown scares in America: A timeline of crimes, sightings

  8. A summer of sightings, several clown-related threats, robberies and close encounters involving children had law enforcement and communities across the country on edge.
    14-year-old HISD student arrested for social media clown threats

    A Houston teen was arrested for making a clown-related threat against a Houston school.
    Spring ISD responds after threat 'hoax'

    Clown-related threats against schools swept the nation, after the string a creepy incidents.

  9. Naked man caught on the streets of north Houston

  10. A naked man was singing and dancing at Parker Road and Northline, just blocks away from the North Freeway. The man was in his 'birthday' suit, with his pants down at his ankles.
    Naked man spotted in north Houston

    Perhaps the most surprising part of the video was a Houston police officer passing right by the naked man, but not stopping. One witness tells us police eventually came and the man was taken away in an ambulance.

    The nudity wasn't limited to the roadways.
    [Ads /]
  11. Naked man removed from McGovern Lake in Hermann Park

  12. It was quite a scene at Hermann Park as a naked man went for a swim at McGovern Lake.
    HPD removes naked man swimming in lake at Hermann Park

    After three hours of trying to talk the man out of the water, HPD said enough is enough. The dive team put a raft in the water and pulled the man onto it, then they took him to shore.


  13. Driver jumped into Brazos River after high speed police chase

  14. This man at least remembered to wear pants as he jumped into the Brazos River to avoid police after a high speed chase. However, he didn't think far enough ahead to figure out how to get out of the river.
    Man arrested after wild police chase

    Police were able to get the suspect out of Brazos River, but he crawled back in and had to be rescued/apprehended a second time.


    Have no fear, Houston! We now have our own local superhero!

  15. Meet the man who drives around Houston dressed like Deadpool

  16. This Army veteran rides his motorcycle around Houston dressed as Deadpool.
    Man dressed as Deadpool spotted around Houston

    Evo Deadpool Gambino even legally changed his name after the fictional comic book anti-hero was made into a smash hit movie earlier this year.


    Houston wasn't the only place having a weird 2016, it seems to be a wide-spread phenomenon.

  17. Truck driver chokes on cough drop, crashes into Indiana church

  18. Indiana State Police said a semi pulling a flatbed trailer crashed through the Living Hope Church in Delaware County after the driver choked on a cough drop.
    Truck driver chokes on cough drop, crashes into church

    Luckily, no one was in the church at the time and the driver was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

    The roads weren't the only place to find dangerous accidents.

  19. School librarian files lawsuit over exploding toilet

  20. An exploding toilet might sound like a gross joke, but it's a serious matter to one woman in Florida who says a toilet literally blew out in an elementary school bathroom.
    School librarian files lawsuit over exploding toilet

    Following the incident, Burson's leg wound didn't heal properly, and eventually became severely infected. Thankfully, she did not end up losing her limb; she was put on powerful antibiotics for six months.

    Speaking of bad toilet humor, one woman claimed a 'urinating' toy sexually assaulted her.

  21. Woman claims 'urinating' toy sexually assaulted her at Hibachi restaurant

  22. If you've ever been to a hibachi restaurant, chances are you've seen the toy in question: It looks like a boy who drops his pants and squirts water.
    Urinating Toy

    When officers arrived at the restaurant, they noted the toy wasn't anatomically correct. The officer wrote, "I observed the toy to have no penis and just a hole for the water to shoot out."

    Who could forget the game that swept the nation...for about a month.

  23. 12 weird Pokemon Go! stories

As players left their homes to capture imaginary monsters, they ran into some real dangers. People were shot, stabbed, robbed, hit by cars and ended up in some strange places.
So what is Pokemon Go, really?
Copyright © 2024 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.