‘Not Taking My Car’: WA Dad in SpongeBob Underwear Tackles Accused Carjacker in 30-Minute Takedown

A West Australian father has become an instant viral hero after footage emerged of him pouncing on an accused carjacker while wearing nothing but his SpongeBob SquarePants underwear.

Tradie Dean Bathurst, 57, jumped into action after his 10-year-old daughter spotted a stranger allegedly tampering with his car in Bindoon, about 70 kilometres north of Perth, just after 7 am on Tuesday.

“You know, you got the fight or flight. I’ve got a strong fight,” Dean said. “It was like, you’re not taking my car.”

Dean’s two sons, Grayson and Brooklyn, quickly joined the fray. What followed was a “good 10-minute wrestle” on the ground, before the trio managed to restrain the wanted man in a citizen’s arrest that lasted an agonizing 30 minutes until police could drive the 50km from Toodyay.

Son Brooklyn Bathurst, who weighs 120 kilos, described the scene as an “endurance test.”

Unbeknownst to the Bathurst family, the 31-year-old Brabham man was allegedly the culprit in a crime spree that began hours earlier. Police allege he had hijacked a woman’s car in south-east Perth, indecently assaulting her and making threats while holding what appeared to be a firearm.

The suspect was taken into police custody and has been charged with a raft of serious offences, including armed robbery, deprivation of liberty, unlawful and indecent assault, and stealing two vehicles. He was denied bail at Armadale Magistrates Court.

As for the unlikely hero, Dean Bathurst is taking his newfound fame with a laugh:

“I might actually go to bed dressed a bit better than my SpongeBob jocks from now on… But fully expect to be made into a meme after this.”

For a look at a similar incident where a quick-thinking father confronted home intruders, check out this video: Dad in underpants catches home intruders |