An upscale neighborhood near the Ibis Golf and Country Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., is all aflutter over some unwelcome guests: dozens of black vultures. The Palm Beach Post reports that a New York family can no longer visit the $700,000 vacation home they bought earlier this year because the birds have defecated and vomited all around it, leaving a smell "like a thousand rotting corpses," claimed homeowner Siobhan Casimano. Homeowner Cheryl Katz put out fake owls with moving heads and blinking red lights for eyes to scare off the birds, but she said the vultures "ripped the heads off." Katz had to summon police when the vultures became trapped in her pool enclosure and attacked each other: "Blood was everywhere," she told the Post. Katz and other homeowners blame the invasion on a neighbor who feeds wildlife, supplying bags of dog food, roasted chicken and trays of sandwiches for their enjoyment. Neighborhood association president Gordon Holness told the Post the neighbor has been issued a warning, but the migratory birds are protected by federal law.

Spoiled

A young man identified only as Akash, in Yamunanagar, Haryana state in northern India, received a new BMW from his parents for his birthday, reported Fox News on Aug. 12. But Akash, who had nagged his parents for a Jaguar instead, told police the BMW was "a little small for him and his friends inside." So he pushed the new vehicle into a river, where it sank into deep water and had to be pulled out with a crane. "The youth was arrogant and kept insisting that he be given a Jaguar," police said. "We could only afford to give him a BMW," said his father. "We never imagined he would do anything like this."

Crème de la Weird

An unnamed man attending a traditional crayfish party on Aug. 20 at the Skansen Aquarium in Stockholm was delivering a speech while standing on a rock in a restricted area. As he spoke, he rested his arm on a glass barrier — until the crocodile that lives in the tank "jumped up and grabbed his lower arm," Jonas Wahlstrom, owner of the aquarium, told CNN. But that isn't the weird part of the story. The dastardly crocodile in this story was formerly owned by ... Fidel Castro. The croc was one of two given to a Russian cosmonaut in 1970, who took the animals to Moscow. Wahlstrom eventually brought them to Stockholm. The croc "lost its grip after 10 seconds," Wahlstrom said, leaving the victim with injuries to his lower arm and hand.

Bright idea

Dave Schmida, 21, of Sturbridge, Mass., set out on Aug. 12, determined to get rid of a hornet's nest three stories up under a corner of his family's roof. He first tried spraying the nest with Raid, but when that didn't work, he got creative. As his brother, Matthew, recorded video of the extermination, Dave lit up a Roman candle and pointed the fiery balls at the nest, reported the Worcester Telegram. The first two or three missed their mark, but when his ammunition connected with the nest, it burst into flames, killing the wasps but setting the eaves on fire, as well. Schmida rushed up to a nearby window and used a fire extinguisher to put the flames out. "I would say mission accomplished," he said, even though there is now a small hole in the house.

Strange obsession

Washington Highway Patrol Sgt. Kyle Smith stopped along Hwy. 518 near Seattle on Aug. 13 to see if a car parked on the shoulder needed assistance. Instead, according to the Associated Press, he observed the driver inside with eight mobile phones, neatly arranged in a blue foam square, all playing Pokemon Go. Smith did not issue a ticket to the driver, but he did warn him to put the phones away and move along, as the shoulder is meant only for emergency stops.

News of the Weird is compiled by the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication. Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.