Train Toilet Trauma, Battling Bald Eagles, 2-Year-Old Driver: Weird IL News That Made Us Say 'What?' In 2025

Illinois is ringing in a new year, and looking to the future with hope — but we're also taking stock of the year that was — including the weirdest news of 2025.

Here's a look back at the last year, from an X-rated "sensual dance" that netted a man criminal charges to an armadillo alert to a toddler behind the wheel, a brawl at Sky Zone, and toilet trauma aboard a plane and a train.

'Sensual' Dance Gets Man Arrested: Police

In perhaps one of the most disturbing weird news stories of 2025, police say a biological substance dripped onto a woman during a birthday dance with a man, with police saying the man told another partygoer, "I couldn't contain myself."

The man and woman had danced the bachata, which is "sensual and romantic," police said. A dance instructor told police that several Chicago dance studios told him the man made women feel uncomfortable by dancing closely.

Passenger Defecated On Southwest Flight Before It Arrived In Chicago

Police and medical personnel met a Southwest Airlines flight as it landed in Chicago in response to reports a passenger took her clothes off and defecated on her seat, authorities said.

Southwest officials said authorities responded to "a situation involving a customer" on a flight from Philadelphia to Chicago.

Due to the incident, the plane was forced out of service for mandatory cleaning.

'Hundreds' Of Juveniles At Sky Zone During Brawl: Police

A massive brawl among juveniles broke out at Sky Zone during an at-capacity "free jump" day at the south suburban trampoline park, police said.

A police commander told Patch that the melee stemmed from an initial battery call between juveniles that spiraled. Police from multiple jurisdictions then descended on the business to help disperse the crowd.

Dad Lets 2-Year-Old Child Drive His Car, Play Radio, Hit Horn: Chief

Police officers were sent to the area to investigate a suspicious vehicle driving back and forth, blowing its horn, yelling, and playing loud music.

Officers told the dad that they had been called and why, and according to the chief, the father replied that he was letting his son "drive," while sitting on his lap, honk the horn, and play the radio while driving on the roadway. The dad added that he didn’t think it was a big deal to do so, according to police.

Milk Sold At Illinois Grocery Stores Recalled For Possible Contamination With Cleaning Product

An Illinois-based producer of various milk products recalled its gallon-sized fat-free milk distributed to Woodman's Markets over potential contamination with food-grade cleaning agents, the company announced.

An investigation determined that about 320 gallons of the affected milk were sold before the issue was discovered.

Clogged Toilets And No AC: Chicago Amtrak Passengers Stranded For Hours

People were crying and having panic attacks, one passenger told a news outlet, after riders traveling from Chicago to Dearborn, Michigan, spent hours trapped inside a hot, smelly Amtrak train with overflowing toilets.

"People with BABIES, a blind man, elderly people forced to walk 25 minutes through a field to get to a road after four hours with few updates, no food or water, no bathrooms," one passenger posted on X.

Entangled Battling Bald Eagles 'Fell From Sky' Into Suburban Yard

Two bald eagles were likely fighting midair before they crashed into a suburban couple's yard, according to Chicago Bird Collision Monitors.

The couple who witnessed the spectacle called the nonprofit group's hotline. Dave Murphy and their wife Deb were in their living room when they heard a bang, and Murphy caught a flash of a wing moving—maybe even falling?—past their window.

Pritzker Calls For ABC, WGN Boycott After Kimmel Is Suspended

After late-night host Jimmy Kimmel was briefly suspended over comments he made about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the governor issued a dire warning to Illinoisans: “I do not understand why people are not standing up and pushing back when they ought to, because what’s at stake here is free speech, it’s our Constitution and our way of life. Do we really want the president of the United States intimidating people, organizations to get others fired?” Pritzker asked.

Kimmel eventually returned to his show, despite some stations still refusing to air "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

Over 100 Bodies Found In Trailers At Suburban Crematory: Reports

A crematory was shut down after over 100 bodies were found in trailers, according to reports.

The business faced as much as $5,000 in penalties for each violation and could lose its license. It was ordered to cremate the remaining bodies on site.

The Armadillos Are Coming: Be On The Lookout In Northern IL

Authorities were asking the public to be on the lookout for armadillos in northern Illinois.

The state wants to know if you see an armadillo in northern Illinois — or a black bear, gray wolf or mountain lion, for that matter.

"Nine-banded armadillos are slowly expanding their range north and may be making their way toward northern Illinois," a suburban forest preserve district said.

Boy Fabricated Story About Being Attacked & Set On Fire: Police

Parents were alarmed when a woman shared on social media that her son had been attacked and set on fire.

The post shared first via the Neighbors app was later debunked by police.

Police responded to a suburban hospital, where a boy was being treated for burns to his legs, and say they later learned the story he gave wasn't true.

These Custom License Plates Were Rejected In Illinois In 2025

Want a customized license plate? It can be yours, but the state of Illinois has the final say when it comes to vanity plates.

Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias shared some of the vanity plates his office had rejected, containing such gems as BDASMOM, ICUP and SYBAU.

Some of the rejected plates might require some Googling, he said: "As always, we appreciate the creativity of Illinoisans who want customized license plates, but they must meet certain standards of good taste and decency."

Drunken Woman Broke Into Home, Made Herself 3 Tacos: Police

Police say the 37-year-old woman was found intoxicated, lying down between a sidewalk and roadway after police received several reports from residents who’d had run-ins with her that day. She was accused of breaking into the home of a man who lived near where she was eventually found.

Police said she admitted to officers to going into the home with the intention of stealing from it. She took food while there and cooked herself three tacos, according to court records.

There was food all over the counters and the oven, he said. There was also woman's clothing strewn all over his lawn that appeared to be the clothing of the man's daughter, who was a college student and who was away at college, according to court documents.