Lenny Robinson as Batman.
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He was a super hero to sick children across our region.
The crash continues to be beneath investigation, and no costs have been filed.
The 51-year-old resident of Owings Mills was on his way home from a weekend festival in South Charleston, W.Va. He was in Interstate 70 when his car’s engine broke down and had to stop. That get-up, that costume he had came out of his own pocket.
“He was my brother, my business partner, my best friend”, said Scott Robinson. “That’s all he wanted to do”.
According to his website, superheroesforkids.org, Robinson is a self-made businessman through a recently sold cleaning business that he started when he was still a teenager. To help others. And he did that in an absolutely awe-inspiring way – he spent about $5000 on an accurate Batman costume, bought a Lamorghini Gallardo Spyder (customised to be something of a Batmobile-inspired vehicle)(the car was later swapped out for a custom replica of the 1960’s Batmobile) and over $25,000 yearly on Batman comics and merchandise that he would give to children battling cancer.
Hope For Henry, a charity for children battling cancer, was often the beneficiary of Robinson’s generosity.
HAGERSTOWN-The Maryland Batman, whose roadside encounter with police three years in the past made him a viral sensation around the globe, has died. But his identity remained unknown until The Washington Post revealed it. He then turned up in millions of Facebook feeds and even in a Jimmy Fallon monologue. He and other officers, once they found out what Robinson was on his way to do, shook his hand and took photos with him.
The good deeds he did in character were, in some ways, penance for a temper that had led him to fights and run-ins with the law years ago.
“When he put on that costume, when he got into that Batmobile, his name wasn’t Lenny Robinson anymore”, Larry said.
“It was a hot day and that’s a heavy suit”, Lassen said.
As the Dark Knight, Robinson used a deep voice, but he was careful to never scare younger children.
“We may be cops, but at this moment, we’re kids”, he recalled to the Post. “You don’t need superpowers to be Batman, do you understand that?” “He’s naturally a superhero”. He spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the vehicle, the costume and the Batman-related items – toys, T-shirts and books – that he gave to kids.
He also recalled the comment from parents that he coveted most: “This is the first time my son or daughter has smiled in months”. He has been visiting hospitalized children since 2001. Hope for Henry has hosted superhero parties for 12 years. Batman was the star.
Strongin has been crying all morning. It begins with a bit boy dressed as Batman. He has leukemia. He’s waiting outside a hospital. A simple license plate would not do for the Batmobile; it was outfitted with a bat symbol.
“He was magic”, Strongin said.
It was a packed house as mourners gathered to pay tribute to the man who dedicated his life to helping children. He later upgraded to the Lamborghini before having the custom auto built.
“He was my BBFF”, she said. “He brought so much joy and happiness into their lives”. He listed four things kids can do to be like Batman. They clicked. Robinson would talk to each and every child giving them words of encouragement, making them feel stronger if just for a minute or two.
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But for some, like Elizabeth Gardner, he was just a friend.
