A deranged Staten Island man spotted a peacock in the parking lot of a Tottenville Burger King Thursday morning, and mistook the majestic animal for a vampire. According to the Staten Island Advance, the man assaulted the bird in pretty much every possible way except driving a stake through its heart, as onlookers watched in horror.
Witnesses said a man in his late teens or early 20s grabbed the helpless bird by its neck, struck it repeatedly with a baseball bat and kicked it in a Burger King parking lot on Page Avenue.
He then jumped onto the hood of a car and threw the peacock to the ground before running off when he saw police.
A young woman who worked at the Burger King had just taken a break to get a closer look at the peacock, which is a rare sight, that was standing in the parking lot. She had been feeding the bird bread since 7:30 a.m. Shortly after she finished her break, she heard a man screaming "I'm killing a vampire," and then saw that man jumping on and kicking the peacock after tearing off his shirt.
The Advance also reported that the peacock's presence could be explained by the fact that a Prince Bay man named George Burke has been raising the birds for years, and had given a few to a Tottenville resident. When told of the attack on one of his peacock's, Burke responded "What's wrong with parents who let kids turn into [expletive] like that?"
Animal Care & Control officers evaluated the bird's condition at one of their facilities, and decided to euthanize the peacock. Its injuries were just too extensive and severe to be treated. Police are looking for a young man either in his teens or early 20s and urge anyone who can provide an account of the attack and description of the man to contact them.
(NYC - Bronx - Bronx Zoo: Blue Peacock, by wallyg at flickr)
