Martial Arts Instructor Subdues Man Who Allegedly Tried to Take Baby in NYC Park

A martial arts instructor used his skills to thwart a possible kidnapping of a child in a New York City park last week.

Muy Thai teacher Brian Kemsley says he acted on instinct after he witnessed a man trying to take a stroller away from a woman in Madison Square Park last Monday. Kemsley says the man kept trying to grab the child and that’s when he got involved.

Cellphone video captured by a witness shows Kemsley, along with other bystanders, try to gain control of the man and Kemsley eventually taking the man to the ground.

“I took him down with a certain move and then transitioned to a seatbelt hold, wrapped my leg around him, and in that position you’re really in a dominant position where you can control their limbs, control their body,” the 33-year-old trainer at Evolution Muy Thai NYC.

Kemsley said he held down the man for 15 minutes until the parks security showed up and police eventually showed up after half an hour.

The man was taken to Bellevue Hospital for evaluation, but no one else was injured in the incident.

British actor Jonny Lee Miller took to Instagram to praise Kemsley, whom he called a friend and training partner, for using his Jiu-Jitsu training to hold the man without hurting him until help arrived.

“Training is restricted now because of the pandemic but these are skills which are underestimated in their importance. Get out there and train! Also, better healthcare please America,” Miller wrote.