Twitter lovingly nicknamed two men 'Hawaiian shirt guy' and '2x4 guy' after they heroically tackled a suspected arsonist who set 13 cars on fire
- A video posted by Reddit user spincrisis appears to show a man setting fire to cars on a street in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
- The suspected arsonist then ran across the street into a Starbucks, where he was tackled by a man in a Hawaiian shirt and a man holding a plank of wood in a citizen's arrest.
- People on Twitter affectionately nicknamed the two men "Hawaiian shirt guy" and "2x4 guy" and are calling them heroes.
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Two men are being hailed as heroes after tackling a suspected arsonist who appeared to set cars on fire in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Video posted to Reddit by user spincrisis shows a man in a black hoodie holding a canister of gasoline, pouring it on the hood of a passing car, and setting it ablaze.
According to CTV News, the suspected arsonist set fire to 13 cars, most of them parked but some occupied by drivers.
The man is then shown throwing the canister of gasoline up into the air and gesturing at pedestrians before taking off running. Two men, one in a Hawaiian shirt and one holding a plank of wood, chased him into a Starbucks and tackled him to the ground in a citizen's arrest. They subsequently became known as "Hawaiian shirt guy" and "2x4 guy."
"2x4 guy" has been identified as Jeff Halaby. He told the Edmonton Sun that "Hawaiian shirt guy" had the situation under control. "Hawaiian shirt guy" has not been publicly identified.
"The Hawaiian shirt guy did not need my help," he said. "Once Hawaiian shirt guy had him on the ground, he wasn’t going anywhere."
People on Twitter celebrated the two men's heroic efforts.
The video has everything: flames, loud cars driving the strip, a jerrycan flying through the air, a guy running around with a 2x4, unbelievably chill coffee sippers, a Hawaiian shirt, a moustache. https://t.co/FIQZwvPibi
— Andrea Ross (@_rossandrea) April 13, 2019
Hawaiian shirt guy is everybody’s hero in #YEG today. #whyteave #whyte #fire
— April (@AprilinAlberta4) April 13, 2019
Hawaiian shirt man, we see you, and we thank you. (As well as any and all bystanders who helped hold fire guy down, or put out fires) #yeg #yegnews #whyteave #edmonton pic.twitter.com/zAj0UU80a0
— CassHaus (@cassiehausauer) April 13, 2019
Biggest question now — is the most Edmonton thing you can do:
— Madeline Smith (@meksmith) April 13, 2019
a) spending a Friday night lighting cars on fire on Whyte
b) showing up to a brawl with a 2x4
c) trying to act casual in a Starbucks as chaos ensues behind you
d) Hawaiian shirt heroism https://t.co/1C9kIaQPbx
No, we don't have playoff hockey. But we do have Hawaiian shirt guy and 2x4 Man. We're doing fine.#yeg
— Andrew Grose (@GroseAndrew) April 13, 2019
Three cheers for Hawaiian Shirt Guy and 2x4 Man! #YEG #yegwhyte
— Jagasia (@njagasia) April 13, 2019
- Read more:
- 24 celebrities who are real-life heroes
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- This heroic dog was shot 3 times while protecting his 16-year-old owner from armed intruders
- A quick-thinking airport worker saved 2 girls from a suspected human trafficking plot when they checked in with one-way tickets
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