From The Inquirer archives: Thief swipes original Batman costume from Please Touch Museum
The outfit had been part of the museum's Batman exhibit.
This article originally appeared in The Inquirer on July 08, 1989.
By Marianne Costantinou, Daily News Staff Writer
Holy Leotards!
Someone broke into a display case at the Please Touch Museum and swiped the original Batman costume worn by actor Adam West in the 1960s TV show.
The outfit was missing yesterday morning from the third floor of the children’s museum, 21st and Race streets.
“It was panic. It was depression. It was like a zoo,” said spokeswoman Capucine Jackson-Grimes.
With Batman out of commission, uniformed crusaders were called in. Hours later, the costume was tracked down and returned.
The joker in this caper was an 18-year-old dishwasher and Batman fanatic named John Spitalik of Bristol, according to Upper Dublin Township police in Montgomery County, who arrested him.
Spitalik said he wanted the outfit to wear to Batman film openings and parties, said Upper Dublin Det. Peter Kelly.
“I guess he wanted to be Batman,” said Kelly.
Kelly and his partner, Officer William Carroll, got an anonymous tip that Spitalik was bragging about his sudden acquisition of the priceless garb.
They visited him at his restaurant job in the Dresher Plaza in Dresher. Spitalik then led the officers to his Batmobile, a 1985 Buick, and opened the trunk.
There, next to a book about Batman memorabilia, and inside a Pierre Cardin suitcase, was the purloined costume: blue cape, blue winged gloves, gray leotards, purple shorts, purple boots and yellow utility belt. Batman’s trademark black mask had not been in the exhibit.
The outfit had been part of the museum’s Batman exhibit since May, said Jackson-Grimes.
Late yesterday afternoon, relieved museum curators drove up to Upper Dublin and brought back the costume. Except for a teeny rip at the bottom of the scalloped cape, the costume was unharmed.
Just in case there are other aspiring Batmans out there, the museum is sending the costume back this weekend to its rightful owner, a Batman collector in Ohio.
Holy Happy Ending!