Batman & Spider-Man Arrested For Fighting Hecklers In Times Square

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jbrown1993/7575594238/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">andy katz's flickr</a>

So much for Utopia: a costumed Batman and Spider-Man were arrested last night for allegedly attacking a heckler in Times Square.

Police say that 41-year-old Jose Escalona-Martinez, who was dressed as Batman, and 35-year-old Abdel Elkahezai, who was dressed as Spider-Man, were arrested at 10:25 p.m. on Broadway between 43rd and 44th Street last night. The Post reports that victim Thomas Rorke, 23, and a 23-year-old friend were heckling them via "sexually suggestive gestures" when a fight broke out.

Rorke, a Breezy Point resident, claims that he was hit multiple times in the face, causing swelling and visible injury to the left side of his face. Escalona-Martinez and Elkahezai, both Manhattan residents, have been charged with misdemeanor assault.

This arrest comes on the heels of a week in which politicians proposed legislation that would license and regulate anyone who poses for tips on the streets. Fights between individuals in costumes and Times Square visitors or cops have been a fairly regular occurrence, judging by the amount of YouTube videos dedicated to tracking them.