I NUDE A HERO 18st uncle sprints out of house NAKED to ‘save’ niece from abduction…but is red-faced when she walks round the corner

AN 18-STONE man was left red-faced after dashing out of his home stark naked to chase a white van man he believed had abducted his niece - only to discover it was a false alarm.

Nude Nathan Murphy sprang into action after his family heard what they thought was 11-year-old Lucy screaming and a van screeching off.

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Nathan Murphy, who weighs 18 stone, didn't stop to dress when he feared his 11-year-old niece Lucy was being kidnappedCredit: Kennedy News and Media

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He grabbed what he believed to be his trousers - but was in fact a t-shirt - and went dashing outside Credit: Kennedy News and Media

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Nathan was so fuelled with adrenaline that his knees buckled as he reached his dad's car Credit: Kennedy News and Media

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Luckily, Lucy, pictured with her mum Natalie and uncle Nathan, wasn't in troubleCredit: Kennedy News and Media

The have-a-go hero was so fuelled with adrenaline that as he raced outside, his legs buckled as he tried to pull open the door of his dad's car to give chase.

But his panic turned to embarrassment when little Lucy walked past him to the front door - and dad-of-two Nathan, 29, realised nothing was amiss.

Nathan's dad, retired bricklayer Michael, 64, has now shared the hilarious CCTV footage of the incident on Facebook.

The video has since racked up nearly 500,000 views and more than 14,000 likes, shares and comments.

Nathan, from North Ormesby, Middlesbrough, said: "I'd been asleep and as I was waking up all I heard was screaming.

"I opened the window and thought someone had been run over or was getting stabbed or something.

"I jumped up out the bed, tried to find my clothes and I ended up just grabbing a t-shirt thinking it was my bottoms and I flew downstairs.

"When I was on the front I heard 'kidnap' and thought, 'Wow, this is serious'.

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Nathan raced to his dad's car in a bid to try and track down what he thought was a kidnapper Credit: Kennedy News and Media

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Natalie, pictured in blue, raised the alarm after hearing what she thought was her daughter screaming and a white van driving awayCredit: Kennedy News and Media

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But after Nathan ran out in the nude, it became clear it was a misunderstanding when Lucy walked past Credit: Kennedy News and Media

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Nathan, pictured here with his niece, said "the embarrassment kicked in" when he saw Lucy Credit: Kennedy News and Media

"I'm a big lad, I'm 18 stone, but I can move when I need to and because the adrenaline was rushing through me I went weak in the legs and I just fell over.

"My dad's car doors lock automatically when someone gets in, so I got up and started screaming for him to let me in because I was naked and half the street was out looking.

"As I got in the car I saw Lucy come round the corner, so I got out and that's when the embarrassment kicked in.

"I felt stupid and was thinking, 'I hope one of the mothers don't report me' because all their kids had seen my downstairs and I didn't want to be put on some register."

The mix-up happened when Nathan's sister, full-time mum Natalie Murphy, believed she'd heard banging and cries of 'mum' that sounded like daughter Lucy as a van stopped nearby.

CCTV footage shows horrified mum-of-four Natalie wailing "That's our Lucy'"and running into the road.

Nathan can be heard demanding to know what was going on before accidentally grabbing his t-shirt instead of his trousers and dashing outside in the buff to make chase.

After a full-nude faceplant, dad Michael can be seen letting him into the car as Natalie, 40, shouts "She's here".

'I WAS NAKED AND HALF THE STREET WERE OUT LOOKING'

Natalie, who lives a minute's walk away with her children said it was a "mum's worst nightmare" - but went from sheer panic to belly laughs in seconds.

Natalie said: "There must have been someone going past, having an argument, booting the van, then I heard 'Mam' and I thought someone grabbed her into the back of the van.

"My heart skipped a beat, it was so scary.

"I was screaming 'Lucy' and then she came round the corner and said 'Mam, I thought something was happening to you'.

"Obviously that was a huge relief, then I was walking back to the house and the next thing I know Nathan's outside b****ck naked.

"I couldn't stop laughing, but at least I know he's got my back and I know he's going to be there for me."

Nathan said: "When my dad told us he had the video, I said, 'No way'.

"I watched the video back and remember thinking, 'Don't put that on Facebook, everyone's going to see it'."But then with everything that's going on, I saw the bigger picture of it and thought it'd be a good laugh for people and a bit of banter."

Facebook users flooded the video with comments sharing how hilarious they found the clip once they realised it was a false alarm.

One said:  "I’m howling - can’t stop laughing", while another wrote: "I literally cried laughing at this."

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The dad-of-two initially found the episode humiliating - but later agreed that his dad could post the footage on Facebook Credit: Kennedy News and Media

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Pictured left to right is Lucy, 11, Nathan's dad Michael, 64, nine-year-old Millie, Nathan, Natalie, and two-year-old Kalise Grange