ABC7 News spoke to the real-life caped crusader and found out Petaluma Batman started roaming the streets of Petaluma less than a month ago. Nevertheless, in just a few weeks he's got the town talking and cheering him on.
For the last few weeks the caped character has been scooting through the streets of Petaluma on a mission.
"There's this motto 'A hero can be anyone' and it's kind of really taken ahold of in the newest Batman movies and I thought, 'Well, that's kind of neat,'" said Petaluma Batman.
At night he keeps an eye on the city calling police if he see's anything out of the ordinary.
"I don't take justice into my own hands. You know, if I do see something, I'll call the cops and make sure everything's going smoothly," said Petaluma Batman.
He also has regular battles with "Petaluma Joker" and other villains, complete with choreographed fights downtown. This all started as a dare with a Facebook profile and quickly caught the attention of thousands of people online.
"I started going out in my costume and stuff, people started recognizing what I was doing, it was for kind of fun, charity, entertainment value, not vigilante at all. And then, all of a sudden, here we are with almost like 3,700 likes," said Petaluma Batman.
On his Facebook page he posts about charitable organizations and other events that can use some extra attention. Earlier this month, he posted fliers around town when Byrne went missing in the Lake Tahoe area. She was a classmate of his at Casa Grande High School. He's gained a quick reputation around town.
"During the search phase for her, he was there to help and that was pretty cool," said Petaluma resident Dan Lowman.
"I don't know who he is, but whatever he's doing, he's bringing up the spirits in this town and that's what Petaluma needs, we need a hero right now," said Petaluma resident Ashley Nichole Blanchard.
We do know his true identity, but we've agreed to keep it confidential for his and his family's safety. By day Petaluma Batman is a 19-year-old student with a day job and right now, this is just a lot of fun.
When asked how long did he think he would keep patrolling the streets, Petaluma Batman replied, "Until I wake up and I say to myself, 'You know, Petaluma Batman isn't fun anymore.' As long as I can have a positive influence on people and nothing bad happens."
We spoke to the desk sergeant at the Petaluma Police Department and he said that Petaluma Batman is pretty innocuous and welcomes any help he can offer.
