3 Amazing News Stories

Only in L.A.!

Is it a bird? No… Is it a plane? No… It’s a guy in a jetpack!

If you thought that flying people were the stuff of science fiction, think again!

A jetpack is a device worn over the shoulders like a backpack. It enables the wearer to travel through the air by means of jet propulsion. Jetpack technology is surging ahead, and it is expected that everyday commuters will be zipping around in jetpacks only a few years from now.

On September 1, 2020, an American Airlines pilot radioed in to the air traffic control tower of Los Angeles International Airport with an unbelievable report.

“We just passed a guy in a jetpack,” the pilot said. The flying man was observed at 3,000 feet (915 meters).

About 30 seconds later, a second pilot reported seeing the man in a jetpack.

“Only in LA,” the flight controller said. And so began one of the most intriguing aviation mysteries Los Angeles has confronted in years.

Three weeks later, a China Airlines pilot reported seeing a person flying in a jetpack 6,000 feet (1.9 km) in the air about 7 miles (11 km) from LAX.

The FBI is investigating both incidents. The dangers of a person in a jetpack flying near one of the most crowded parcels of airspace in the world is very real! However, as of now, the identity of the mysterious jetpack flyer remains unknown, leaving authorities and the public puzzled about who could be behind these high-flying stunts.

Naughty Boy

A Utah Highway Patrol Trooper got quite a surprise when he went to pull over a swerving car. He expected to find a driver who was either severely impaired or having a medical emergency.

Instead, he discovered a five-year-old boy perched on the edge of the driver's seat, his feet barely reaching the pedals and his head barely clearing the dashboard. The boy was traveling at an average speed of 32 miles per hour (50 km/h) as traffic was moving slowly around him.

The child had taken the keys to the family car while his teenage sister was napping. He drove 3 km across town before getting on the freeway. He later told baffled officers that he was planning to go to California to buy a Lamborghini.

While he only had $3 in his wallet, he was, at least, driving in the right direction.

Finders Keepers

What would you do if you stumbled upon a bag of money on the street? That’s what happened at least 13 times in the past six years to citizens of Blackhall Colliery, England.

Someone was leaving bags of £2,000 in cash around town. The money was always left in plain sight and often on pavements. Most remarkably, honest citizens kept handing the money in to the police. After two weeks, if the money wasn’t claimed, the person who found the money got to keep it.

Over the past six years, £26,000 has been handed in by village residents. In January 2020, police learned that a pair of good Samaritans were leaving the mystery cash. Both benefactors had recently received “unexpected windfalls” and wanted to give something back to the community. They would deliberately leave the money where it would be found by people in need, and they would then wait to make sure it was picked up.

For the 13 citizens who became £2,000 richer, honesty really did pay off.