South London has its own masked vigilante, dubbed by local media as the "Bromley Batman."

The Evening Standard reports the suburban Dark Knight, clad in "combat trousers and a muscle top," made his presence known late Monday in Bromley, where he rescued a city worker from an apparent gang of knife-wielding "foul-mouthed thugs" who demanded his phone and wallet.

"I thought I was quite literally done for," the would-be victim told the newspaper. "Then, out of nowhere, a man about 6-foot tall, dressed in black combat-style trousers and a tight muscle top, and wearing a black bandana mask, came running towards them. He kicked the biggest of my attackers to the ground, which must have knocked the wind out of him. Then he grabbed one of the others and swung him into the other one, and pushed them both into a prickly hedge. They were both screaming in pain."

That definitely sounds like Batman, even without the signature cape, cowl and utility belt: 6 feet tall, appearing out of nowhere, punches first, asks questions later. Now, before you go thinking this was simply some random, masked Good Samaritan, know this -- the Dark Knight has struck again. And again.

The Evening Standard offers two more breathless accounts of the Cape-less Crusader in action -- one dating back nearly four months, when a mugger grabbed a woman's handbag, only to be (literally) tripped up by a man who stepped out of the darkness. He is the night, after all.

The woman recalled that the deep-voiced (ahem) vigilante, whose well-groomed beard was visible, despite his covered face, "gave me back my bag, and told me something along the lines of: 'Make sure this doesn't happen again.'" Honestly, that's kind of a dickish thing to say, which again, sounds like Batman.

Another witness recounted seeing two drunken men punching and kicking a third, only to be interrupted by the appearance of a masked figure dressed in black: "He grabbed one of them, attacking him, and put some kind of ninja lock on him. He pushed him while twisting this geezer's arm into the other fella. The geezer getting beaten up ran like a nutter, and with both the fellas on the floor the masked geezer scarpered quickly away himself."

Although the police contend they've received no reports of a crime-fighting vigilante in South London, the Evening Standard is asking for any tips about his nighttime activities. In the meantime, watch the skies for the Bromley Bat-Signal.

(via News Shopper)